Life in the City
by AliasCSINYFriendsER
Summary: What do we get when we give Detective Mac Taylor a niece? A little drama but mostly a whole lot of fun!
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: CSI:NY does NOT belong to me. The only characters that belong to me are Alexis and Emma. And this is a slightly AU story. Hope that's not a problem with anyone. And I hope people like this story!

Spoilers: None…maybe borrowed concepts, but that's about it!

Summary: What do we get when we give Detective Mac Taylor a niece? A little drama but mostly a whole lot of fun!

Chapter 1:

"Mac!" Detective Stella Bonasera called out.

Detective Mac Taylor turned, looking up from the file he was reading. "Hey Stell, what's up?"

Stella walked up to him and joined him on his way to his office. "I met someone in the lobby. She says she's your niece." She looked at him curiously. "Why would your niece just randomly show up?"

Mac looked at her and shrugged. He ran a hand over his face and sighed. "Maybe she's had another fight with her parents and she ran away from home." He tossed the file on his desk and motioned for Stella to follow him. "Let's go find out."

"You don't mind if I tag along?" Stella asked; her interest definitely piqued.

"Not at all," he answered. "You are my partner and best friend."

Stella smirked and rolled her eyes as she followed him into the lobby. "Sure."

Mac sent a half smile in her direction before glancing around the room before he heard his 19-year old niece's voice.

"Uncle Mac!" Alexis Taylor hollered from the other side of the bustling room. A few people stopped their work to glance up at the girl who had called the CSI uncle. Blushing, she made her way over to her uncle and the pretty woman she had talked to earlier.

"Lex, what are you doing here?" Mac demanded. "Did you run away again?"

Alexis looked down. "Yeah," she mumbled. She shuffled her feet on the floor while they stood in an awkward silence.

Stella sensed this and introduced herself. "I'm Stella Bonasera. I work with your uncle, partners actually." She held her hand out and smiled gently.

Alexis looked up at her and smiled. "Nice to meet you. I'm Alexis Taylor. His brother is my dad," she explained, gesturing to Mac.

Mac reached out and took his niece's arm and led her down the hallway with Stella straggling behind. When they reached his office, Mac motioned for her to wait outside while he talked to Alexis first.

Stella understood and leaned against the glass wall of Mac's office. She had finished her case hours ago and was now wondering what the rest of their team was up to. Figuring Mac would page her she headed for one of the labs in search of Aiden and Danny.

"Lex, sit and explain why you're here," Mac said in his usual manner. He took a seat behind his desk and leaned forward, giving her his complete attention.

Alexis squirmed slightly under her uncle's stern gaze. She knew he was the head detective here at CSI: NYPD, and she admired him for that. He was her favorite uncle despite the fact that she rarely saw him anymore since he relocated to New York. "My mom died," she said simply, staring at the floor.

"What about Steve?" Mac asked, his demeanor softening.

"Dad was killed in a car accident later the same day," she added. She glanced up quickly with tears in her eyes. "Someone hit my mom, and ran into my dad." She sniffed, trying to control her emotions. "I had nowhere else to go but then I thought of you. My dad was always proud of you."

Mac smiled wistfully, remembering his childhood. He and Steve were very close even though Steve was the oldest. "Well, I'm glad you came here then. But my hours are long and I'm rarely home."

Alexis looked at her uncle. "What about, your partner?" she asked, stumbling. She couldn't remember his partner's name. "Does she have the same hours?"

Mac nodded. "Stella. Yeah, we pretty much have all the same hours." He stood up, flipping his phone open and paging Stella. "Crime doesn't stop," he smirked.

Alexis nodded. "I'll be okay alone if I can just live with you, despite the long hours. I've got school anyway."

"Where are you going to school?" Mac asked, leaning against the front of his desk.

"I got accepted into Julliard. I'm a piano performance major," she said shyly.

"Oh wow! Congratulations!" Mac said, genuinely happy for her. "What do you plan to do with that major?"

"I've been hired to be pianist for a school here in Manhattan. And apparently I'm so good that the Today Show wants a performance from me," she said somewhat embarrassed. She rarely talked about herself in such a way.

Mac crouched down so he was at her level. "Alexis, I'm very proud of you. And I know your parents would be as well," he gave her knee a squeeze, "and you can live with me."

Alexis surprised him by grabbing him in a giant hug. "Thank you," she whispered.

Their moment was gently interrupted by a knock from Stella. Mac looked up from his hug and crooked his finger at Stella, motioning her in.

"How's everything going?" Stella asked with a smile.

"Lex is going to live with me. Her parents have died suddenly," Mac said with suppressed sadness. He looked down at his niece who was giving Stella a once-over.

"Welcome to New York," Stella said with a friendly smile.

Alexis smiled back. "Thanks. Would it be okay if I shadowed you guys tomorrow?" she asked, looking back and forth between the two adults.

Stella looked over at Mac waiting for his answer. She liked this girl even though she barely knew anything about her.

Mac thought about it for a long while. "I suppose. Just try not to get in the way." He winked.

Stella was shocked. She hadn't seen this side of Mac in a long time, not since Claire died. When she noticed him watching her, she smiled shyly and pushed some of her curls behind her ear.

"Stick with me," Stella told Alexis. "This guy will run over you if you don't move quick enough," she joked.

Mac scoffed. "Yeah right." He stood up to his full height. "Stell, why don't you give her a tour of the labs, maybe introduce her to the rest of the team?" he suggested.

Stella nodded. "Sure. Come on Lex," she held a hand out and when the girl took it, she dropped her hand and wrapped an arm around the girl's shoulders.

"Oh, Uncle Mac," Alexis said, stopping in the doorway, "is Aunt Claire at home?"

Stella saw the sadness creep across his handsome face and looked down. She hated it when Mac was sad.

"You never heard?" Mac asked seriously.

Alexis shook her head, a blank expression on her face.

"Claire died on September 11, during the terrorist attacks," Mac said quietly.

"Oh," Alexis whispered, looking down. "I'm sorry Uncle Mac." She crossed the room in three strides and hugged him again.

Mac hugged her back and soothed her with gentle circles. "I've been dealing with it. Stella's been a big help as well," he said, sharing a look with Stella. "It's been four years."

Stella smiled gently and waited patiently for Alexis to rejoin her. She glanced down at the floor then at her watch as she tried not to stare at the intimate moment between niece and uncle.

Alexis started to tear up, the stress of the past few days and just now learning of her aunt's death was starting to take its toll. She let go of her uncle and stepped back, wiping her eyes with her fingers. "I'll see you later."

Mac nodded. "Of course," he looked over at Stella, "Stell would you mind taking my niece back to your place to wait for me?"

Stella nodded. "Not a problem." She and Alexis headed out of the office towards the labs to find someone new for her to meet - the rest of the CSI family. "Okay, over here is the lab where we test ballistics and materials."

"Ballistics?" Alexis questioned, momentarily stumped.

"Guns, bullets," Stella explained patiently. She smiled as they moved on. "And this is the lab where we process all the rest of forensics and downstairs is the morgue," she added quickly.

"We aren't going down there?" Alexis asked somewhat disappointed.

Stella shook her head in the negative. "It's locked up for the night. And Sheldon has left so you'll have to meet him tomorrow."

Alexis raised an eyebrow in a silent question.

Stella laughed and explained, "Dr. Sheldon Hawkes is our brilliant mortician. He's one of the best!"

Alexis smiled as they moved through a pair of doors. She looked around her and saw a few people still running tests. She noticed a pair of CSIs who were leaning casually against the table, joking with each other.

Stella led the way over to this pair and introduced them all. "Aiden, Danny, this is Mac's niece Alexis. Alexis, this is Aiden Burn and Danny Messer."

Alexis shook their hands. "Nice to meet you," she said politely. She suddenly grew quiet and stared at the floor.

"What's wrong, Alexis?" Stella asked concerned.

"It just hit me," she whispered, "I lost both of my parents in a span of three days and just found out my aunt died four years ago. I don't understand how I didn't know before!" she stated angrily. "Why didn't anyone tell me?" she cried as she sunk to the floor, sobbing.

The other three looked at each other before kneeling down in front of her. "Alexis," Stella started gently, "it's not your fault that any of these things happened. Claire died because of someone else's mistake. Your parents had the misfortune of being in the wrong place at the wrong time."

Aiden reached a hand out to caress her hair. "I'm sorry to hear about your parents. But just so you know, you've got an instant family with us." She shoved Danny for his support.

"Yeah!" he stated quickly, glaring at Aiden. "You're always welcome to hang out with us and talk. We'll all lend an ear when you need it."

Alexis looked up into their kind faces. She had never known kindness such as these three strangers – soon to be friends – were showing her. "Thanks," she whispered, wiping her face. She allowed Stella to pull her into a hug and the three sat there on the floor of the lab in a comfortable silence.

"You know, I was an orphan," Stella started, "I never even met my parents."

Alexis pulled back slightly. "Really? Did you ever try to find them?"

"I tried once when I was in college but then I got too busy with classes and it was pushed to the back burner," she answered thoughtfully. "I guess I just found family here at work, such as these two dorks," she teased.

That got Alexis to laugh a little as Aiden and Danny protested. "Okay, maybe Danny's just the dork. Aiden's pretty cool though," Stella said.

Danny shoved Aiden who was snickering and glared at Stella. "Thank you for that," he stated sarcastically.

They all shared a laugh before getting up off the floor and dusting themselves off. "Thank you for sitting with me," Alexis said shyly. "Today's the first day I've actually cried about any of this. I needed it."

The other three nodded understandingly and decided they had enough of work for one day and headed home. Danny and Aiden cleaned up their lab stations and headed out to the locker room, returning to their playful banter.

Stella followed them with Alexis who remained quiet. "You okay?" Stella asked stopping to wait for her to catch up.

"I'll be okay," Alexis stated. "Where we going now?" she asked, smoothly changing the subject.

"Locker room. Gotta grab my stuff!" Stella said with a grin. "You okay with coming home with me until Mac comes to get you?'

Alexis nodded as they made their way over to her locker. She pulled open her door and slipped into her jacket. Grabbing her purse, she slammed the locker door shut and said her goodbyes to Danny and Aiden who were now bickering about who has the better TV. It was never ending with those two.

The girls headed back towards the offices and checked in on Mac who was staring deeply into a file. "Hold on, I'm going to check on him," Stella said, opening the door to Mac's office.

Alexis remained outside and watched the pair through the glass. She was curious about the relationship these two shared.

Stella walked quietly to Mac's side. "What are you studying?"

Mac looked up and sighed. "This case about a baby who has been abandoned but the most recent caregiver found dead next to her. It's puzzling as to why anyone would kill someone but leave a baby behind." He ran a hand over his face and leaned back.

"We're heading back to my place now. You want to join? Maybe have some coffee?" Stella invited. "I have that Irish stuff you like."

Mac smiled slightly and stood. "I'll be by later to get her. Can you wait on the coffee?" he grabbed his jacket off the back of his chair and slipped it on. "I've got a few things to do before I go home such as get some food for this niece of mine," he said affectionately. Having his niece around was going to be good for him.

"We'll wait," Stella assured him. "See you at my place." She waved and stepped out of the office, leading Alexis down the hall while Mac continued to get his stuff together.

"So, you're half Italian and half Greek?" Alexis asked, astonished. "That's a beautiful combination."

"Thank you!" Stella beamed. "I've always liked it myself, despite not knowing my family." She uncurled herself from the couch. "Want some more soda or water?" she asked collecting their plates.

"Water, please," Alexis requested politely.

"So what's your major?" Stella asked, already knowing this girl was in college.

"Piano performance," she answered from the living room. "I actually got accepted into Julliard."

"No way!" Stella said excitedly. "That's awesome! Congratulations!"

Alexis smiled. "Thanks. I'm thinking of doing a double major now," she started, accepting the bottle of water that was handed to her as Stella claimed her spot again.

"What would you add?" Stella asked, lifting a throw pillow into her lap and hugging it to her.

"Forensics science," she said, "like you and my uncle."

Stella nodded. "You sure you want to do that? The program takes time."

"I'm sure. I still have enough time and NYU has a pretty quick program," Alexis added. "Let's watch a movie until Uncle Mac gets here."

Stella jumped up from the couch and skipped over to her movies. "Comedy? Drama? Foreign?" she made a face at the last one remembering where she got that foreign movie.

"Comedy, definitely," Alexis said with passion.

"Any requests?" Stella asked, glancing up at her.

"Do you have," she paused in thought, "Monster-in-Law?"

Stella raked her eyes over her collection of comedies. She didn't see it at first but finally noticed it buried in between The Wedding Planner and Ice Age. She grabbed it and popped the disc into the player, plopping down on the couch with the remote. Just as she hit play, her doorbell rang.

The girls laughed as Stella jumped back up and looked out the peephole. "It's just your uncle," she said swinging the door open. "Hi!" she greeted happily.

Mac laughed, yes, actually laughed. "What a greeting. And how are you guys?"

"Hey Uncle Mac," Alexis said from her spot on the couch. "We're just starting Monster-in-Law, can we please stay and watch it?" she begged.

Mac started to say 'no, they couldn't impose any longer' when she started giving him a puppy dog look. He quickly answered yes and asked Stella if that'd be all right. Stella accepted and asked if anyone wanted coffee. They both accepted and Mac followed Stella into the kitchen to help prepare mugs.

"Thanks for hanging out with her," Mac said gratefully, bringing three mugs down from a cabinet.

"Not a problem at all. She's fun to hang out with," Stella said with a smile. "She had somewhat of a breakdown back at the lab though. Keep an eye on her tonight," she informed him. "Just be there for her."

Mac nodded and watched as she poured the coffee into the mugs. He grabbed Splenda packets from a little bowl and carried two of the mugs into the living room. He set one down in front of his niece and claimed the spot in between the two girls.

They all settled in to watch the movie but exhaustion won and claimed Alexis and Stella. Alexis had curled up against her uncle and was now asleep against his right side while on his left, Stella had claimed his shoulder. Sighing, he laid his head back and rested for a minute before deciding to gently move them and take the mugs to the sink.

When he came back he found Alexis now sleeping against Stella who had curled up against the arm of the couch when Mac had gotten up. He smiled to himself. He was slowly starting to let Claire go and was willing to restart his life. Lately, he had found himself attracted to Stella Bonasera, his partner.

Shaking himself out of his reverie, he stepped over to the couch and kneeled down. "Lex," he whispered, brushing her hair out of her face. "Let's go so Stell can get to bed," he teased softly.

Alexis stirred but didn't wake. Mac stood up and carefully moved her to the other arm of the couch and lifted Stella into his arms. He quickly carried her into her bedroom and laid her down, covering her with a light afghan. He came back to the couch to lift his niece into his arms and carried her down to his car.

Making sure she was buckled properly, he ran back up to Stella's apartment to lock the door for her and leave a note. Once back in the car, Alexis woke when he started the car. "Are we going home?" she mumbled.

"Yep," Mac answered, pulling into the Manhattan traffic. "You were dead to the world when I carried you out to the car," he teased.

Alexis laughed sleepily. "How long till we get there?"

"Thirty minutes," he answered, navigating through the masses of taxicabs.

"Mm, okay," she said sleepily, drifting off.

Mac smiled to himself and soon found himself home. He parked as close to the front door as he could and got out. He opened Alexis' door and successfully woke her this time. "We're home," he said gently.

Alexis stumbled out of the car as Mac wrapped an arm around her small frame. "You're shivering sweetie," he stated, concerned.

"I'm fine," she said, pulling her jacket around her tighter. She crossed her arms across her chest in order to keep warm while her uncle unlocked the main door and held it open for her. When they were both inside, Mac checked his mailbox and then led the way up the stairs and to his apartment.

"This is home sweet home," he introduced. He unlocked his door and they moved inside.

Alexis looked around the living room and small dining area. "Typical guy's place," she stated with a smile.

Mac had to laugh at that. "Well, go figure," he said. He led the way down the hall and showed her into the guest room and pushed some boxes aside. "As you can see, this room has been mainly storage. But I'll fix that one of these days."

Alexis dropped her backpack by the desk and flopped onto the bed. "Comfy and it's welcoming to my tired body." She stood back up and hugged her uncle tightly. "Thanks for everything," she said simply.

"You're welcome," he answered. They said their goodnights and went to bed. Around two AM Mac found himself awake and he wasn't sure what had woken him. He checked his cell and saw no missed calls. He lay there for a minute listening to see what had woken him. Then he heard it – quiet sobbing. He got out of bed and pulled a white T-shirt on with his boxers and headed for his niece's room.

"Lex?" Mac asked, opening her door slightly. He found her sitting up against the headboard, knees pulled up to her chest, sobbing into an extra pillow.

"Uncle Mac, I can't sleep," she sobbed. "I keep thinking of my parents…and Aunt Claire." She hiccupped as she continued. "I never got a chance to tell her goodbye or how much I loved her."

Mac walked over to the bed and sat down on the edge. "I didn't either. Her death wasn't confirmed until days after the tragedy," he confessed.

Alexis looked up at him as tears trickled down her cheeks. "I'm sorry I wasn't closer to you guys."

Mac shook his head. "It's not your fault. Your life took you one way while mine took me another." He smoothed her hair back. "I still love you. You're one of my favorite nieces."

Alexis grinned through her tears. "I'm your only niece."

Mac chuckled. "True, but still. You're one amazing girl." He pulled her into a hug. "It's okay to cry. You can let it out." He rocked back and forth slowly to soothe her as it had for him when he was a child.

Alexis started in on another round of tears and Mac sat with her until she had calmed down some. By that time it was already three-thirty in the morning and he had to get to work by eight. "Think you can sleep now?"

She nodded. "I think so. Thank you for sitting with me." She adjusted herself under the covers and laid down curling up with the other pillow. "Am I still coming to work with you tomorrow?"

Mac nodded. "Of course. Get some sleep and we'll settle things in the morning." He kissed her temple and headed back to bed to grab a few more hours of sleep before he headed into work.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: CSI:NY does NOT belong to me. The only characters that belong to me are Alexis and Emma. And this is a slightly AU story. Hope that's not a problem with anyone. And I hope people like this story!

Spoilers: None…maybe borrowed concepts, but that's about it!

Summary: What do we get when we give Detective Mac Taylor a niece? A little drama but mostly a whole lot of fun!

Chapter 2:

The next thing Mac knew he was being awakened by a blaring alarm. Groaning he rolled over and smacked his clock. He slowly sat up and rubbed his eyes, remembering why he was so tired. His niece had been sobbing last night. He got out of bed and padded down the hall and opened the door to her room.

He stepped inside and made his way to her bed, which he found empty. Confused, he looked around the room and sighed with relief to hear the shower going. He was somewhat surprised that she was already in the shower before him.

"Hey Lex?" he called out.

"Yeah?" she answered.

"Want some breakfast before we head out?" he asked, moving closer to the bathroom door.

"Eggs and a muffin would be good," she requested. "Please," she added.

Mac smiled to himself and answered her. As he left the room he pulled her door shut and went to his room. Fortunately, his apartment happened to have two showers so he quickly got in and out. He thumbed through his closet and briefly wondered what Stella was doing at the same time. Selecting a dark suit with a light blue shirt to go under it, he dressed as he heard Alexis moving around in her room.

Soon a knock sounded on his door. "Uncle Mac?" Alexis asked through the door. "We better hurry if we want to eat before leaving."

"I'm done," he said opening the door. He grabbed his suit jacket and a tie to match his shirt. He'll just put it on when he got to work.

"Is this okay for me to shadow you guys in?" Alexis asked, worried she was dressed in the wrong thing. She had found her suit neatly packed away at the bottom of her bag this morning.

"It's perfect, very professional," Mac assured her. In a way, she reminded him of Stella. This thought brought a smile to his face.

"Uncle Mac?" she questioned. "We're going to be late."

"Oh right," he snapped out of his thoughts and quickly moved about the apartment, scrambling eggs and setting muffins out. They had just enough time if they didn't do the dishes and brushed their teeth at the office. He had a few toothbrushes there anyway.

Soon they had finished breakfast and hurriedly set the dishes in the sink. Making a dash out the door and down the stairs, they were soon on their way to the crime lab. Alexis was feeling better this morning, despite feeling tired, and turned on the radio to sing with her favorite songs.

Mac rolled his eyes good-naturedly realizing this is what he was going to be putting up with while his niece got back on her feet. "Hey, have you decided what you're going to do while in college?"

Alexis turned the radio down a bit and turned to face him. "Well, I want to see when I get there. The kinds of friends I'll make, how long it takes me to get to school from your place, things like that," she smiled. "If I make good friends, maybe I'll see if they want to find an apartment together."

"You're welcome to stay with me while you're in school," Mac offered. "And Julliard is only a train away. It won't take you long at all."

"Thanks Uncle Mac but are you sure I wouldn't be imposing?" Alexis asked just to make sure.

"You'll be fine," he reassured her.

"So what's the deal with you and Stella?" Alexis asked slyly. She thought they'd be a great couple. They were very in tune with each other.

"What deal? We just work together and happen to be best friends," Mac explained.

"No, I think there's more," she argued. "Haven't you thought of moving on?" she asked gently.

"Well, I have," Mac started, "and I did go on a date but it was a disaster cause I wasn't focusing on my date."

Alexis hid her grin. "Why's that?"

Mac blushed and cleared his throat, pulling up in front of the crime lab. "Why do you want to know so much?"

"Because I have no love life of my own right now and I want to see my favorite uncle happy!" she grinned.

"I was thinking of," he paused for effect, "someone I work with."

"That's not very vague. There's only three women in this department that work with you, personally." She counted them out on her fingers. "Stella, Aiden, and this other woman that I happened to see while we passed her office."

"Oh, Jane Parsons," Mac mentioned. "And no, it's not her."

"Someone even closer?" she probed as they got out of the car.

Mac laughed and came over to her, slinging his tie around his neck. "Come on kiddo. I'll let you know later."

She rolled her eyes and wrapped an arm around her uncle's arm. They smiled and waved to some people on their way up to his office. "Please tell me now," she begged as he unlocked his office door.

"Nope. Later," he replied. He turned to face her as he tried to do his tie without a mirror.

"What's later?" asked Stella as she poked her head in.

"Nothing," Alexis said with a knowing smile. She knew deep down that it was Stella; he just wanted to string her along. She wanted to get him to admit it.

Stella shrugged then looked over at Mac who was struggling. "Need some help?" she asked, crossing the room and swatting his hands away. She swiftly did the appropriate motions of tying a tie and soon she stepped back slightly to admire her handiwork. "There."

"Thanks," Mac said with a slight blush. His phone soon rang to save him from embarrassment and while he answered it, Stella stepped back to stand next to Alexis. They watched curiously as his facial expression changed from one of light-heartedness to one of professional seriousness. "We'll be right there."

Stella immediately turned professional as she turned on her heels and headed to grab her jacket out of her locker. Returning, she finished putting it on and pulled her hair out of the jacket.

"We have another vic found with that baby," Mac said gruffly. This case was seriously pissing him off. He left the girls in a rush before they snapped out of their daze and ran after him.

Arriving at the scene, Mac flashed his badge at the officer in charge and he lifted the crime tape to let Mac and Stella under. Seeing the younger girl, he dropped the tape back down and called to Mac. "Is she with you guys?"

Mac looked back and nodded. "She's shadowing us." He waited for his niece to catch up to them and the three headed inside the building. The sight they found was not pleasant. Stella immediately went to work photographing the crime scene before she went about collecting evidence.

"What can I do to help?" Alexis asked, eager to get a first-hand experience on this.

Mac looked at her and motioned to the crib. "Go check on the baby, then we'll decide what to do from there." He went about his work, flashing his flashlight about the room trying to spot anything unusual or similar to the last case.

Stella finished collecting evidence and straightened to her full height. "Find anything?" she asked, sealing the manila envelope.

Mac shook his head while looking through the bookcase. "Nothing."

Alexis returned with a baby girl who was chewing on her hand. "Look what I found," she said with a smile.

Stella smiled at the little baby, immediately falling in love with her. "She's adorable!" She held her arms out and Alexis passed her over. "Do we have a name on the vic or this baby?"

"A blanket in the nursery said her name is Emma," Alexis offered.

"No name on the vic," Mac answered, searching the victim for identity. He stood up. "What are we going to do with the baby?"

"I'd like to take care of her," Stella said softly, keeping eye contact with the baby. "I don't want her to end up in the system like I was."

Mac watched her interact with the baby. "Are you sure you can handle this?" he packed his stuff up and stripped off his gloves.

Stella nodded as the baby grabbed some hair in her tiny fist. Pulling her hair out of Emma's grip, she looked up at Mac. "Maybe Alexis can baby-sit her while we're at work."

Alexis laughed. "I'll be happy too. But what about when I start school?"

"I'll work on that," Stella answered. "When do you start school?"

"Two weeks," Alexis told her. "I'll go get a bag ready for Emma while you two talk," she said, sensing her uncle had something to say to his partner.

Once Alexis left the room, Mac walked over and placed his hand gently on the baby's head. Emma reached out towards Mac and he took her awkwardly. "She is really cute," he admitted shyly.

Stella smiled and brushed her hand over Emma's hair. "She is," she confirmed. "Thanks Mac."

He made eye contact and nodded. "Don't let her get in the way of your work," he warned. "I can't lose my best partner."

Stella looked down. "I won't." She looked back up as Alexis returned to the room.

"Here's a bunch of her stuff," she said, handing the bag to Stella who shouldered it and accepted Emma back from Mac.

"Thanks Alexis," Stella said. She adjusted Emma on her hip and followed Mac out with Alexis behind.

"So that's all that you do?" Alexis asked as they headed back outside. "Take pictures and collect evidence?"

Stella nodded. "And when we find something through the evidence and pictures, that's when we follow what it says. We always listen to the evidence," she explained.

Back at the offices, Alexis watched Emma in Mac's office while he and Stella were in the labs processing their evidence. Alexis dug around in her backpack before finding her iPod. She glanced around and noticed her uncle had a laptop as well as a desktop. She plugged her iPod in the laptop, clicked a few keys and soon had music filling the room.

"Stella," Mac started as he studied the slide in the microscope. "I've been meaning to tell you something."

Stella glanced up from her work before returning her gaze back down to the evidence she was studying. "What's that?" she adjusted the magnifying glass she was working under for a better view.

Mac gulped before continuing. "I just want to let you know that…that I'm ready to move on with my life," he stuttered out.

Stella stopped what she was doing, never knowing Mac Taylor to stutter. She looked over at him. "Are you sure?" she asked gently. She didn't want to get her hopes up but was curious if that meant moving on with her.

"I'm sure," he answered, this time more sure of himself. He paused in his work and faced her. "I'd like to take you and the girls out to dinner, if that's alright with you."

Stella smiled softly. "I'd like that very much," she answered, hoping he couldn't read her excitement. She had been waiting for this moment for a year now.

"I hope you don't mind the girls coming," Mac said. "I feel that they should be included as well."

"I understand, and it's not a problem," Stella said somewhat giddy. She held his gaze awhile longer before blushing and clearing her throat. "I should finish this," she gestured to the evidence.

Mac nodded. "Me too," he said getting back to his work.

Soon they had enough finished that they could send the rest to Aiden and Danny who had been informed of the case when they got back. The two detectives cleaned up and headed for his office with ridiculous smiles spread across their faces.

When they arrived at his office, they paused before entering. The watched as Alexis danced around the office with Emma in her arms, making the little baby laugh. Stella and Mac looked at each other, cracking up as they entered.

"Cute, Lex…very cute," Mac commented as he steered clear of his dancing niece so as to not interrupt her. He sat down at his desk and leaned back.

"Anything come out of the evidence?" Alexis asked, still moving to the music coming from her iPod.

"Enough to send over to Aiden and Danny," Stella commented, taking one of the chairs in front of Mac's desk. She watched Alexis and Emma for a moment before holding her arms out in a silent request for the baby.

Alexis passed Emma over and continued dancing and singing. She didn't care that the whole office could see her.

"Lex, when do you go on the Today Show?" Mac asked, grabbing the girl's attention.

"Next Wednesday," she answered. "Can you guys make it?"

Mac looked at Stella who was cooing at Emma. "Stell?" he asked in an amused tone. "Do you think we can make time to attend the Today Show with my niece?"

Stella winked. "I think we can manage that."

"Good," Alexis said. "I'd have to do something about you two if you couldn't," she teased. She watched them for a minute before deciding something was different between them. Her uncle almost seemed like he was floating on a cloud. "What's up with you guys?" she asked, stopping her dance moves to plant her hands on her hips.

Mac cleared his throat. "I told Stella that I'm ready to move on. And I think that should answer our conversation from this morning," he added with a pointed look.

Alexis grinned. "I'm so happy for you!" she clapped her hands like a little girl, which caused Emma to do the same. "So where does this leave the two of you?"

"We're all going out to dinner after work," Mac informed her, watching as she started dancing to the latest song on her list, Ciara's 1, 2 Step. He raised an eyebrow at his niece, who shrugged and kept dancing.

"Let her have her fun," Stella said, making faces at Emma. She glanced at Mac as she let Emma hold her fingers as support as she pulled herself up on Stella's lap.

Mac shook his head smiling as his cell rang. He answered and carried on a short conversation with the person on the other end. "Well, case closed. Aiden said it's a simple case of abandonment. The baby just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time…same with the victims."

"But why were they being killed?" Stella asked, still not getting the connection.

"Is this Usher?" Mac asked incredulously.

Alexis nodded surprised her uncle knew who Usher is.

"Mac," Stella said in a warning tone.

"They were being killed because the parents of the baby didn't want anyone to take care of her. I guess they wanted their baby dead," Mac continued. "You might want to go through the proper channels of adoption. And I want you to stay with Alexis and me in case the parents decide to come after you."

Stella looked at him in shock, as did Alexis. "You think they'd do that?"

"We need to find them and apprehend them!" Alexis stated firmly. "I don't want Stella getting killed."

"I know," Mac said. "Flack is taking care of it as we speak."

"Why didn't we go after them ourselves?" Stella wanted to know.

"Because I didn't want them to know their baby is still alive, that she's still thriving and will be taken care of," Mac explained.

"Please tell me you sent Danny with Flack," Stella added.

Mac nodded. "Of course."

"Psychos," Alexis muttered under her breath. "I can't believe they even became parents," she ranted.

Stella smiled sadly. "Unfortunately, there are people like that in the world."


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: CSI:NY does NOT belong to me. The only characters that belong to me are Alexis and Emma. And this is a slightly AU story. Hope that's not a problem with anyone. And I hope people like this story!

Spoilers: None…maybe borrowed concepts, but that's about it!

Summary: What do we get when we give Detective Mac Taylor a niece? A little drama but mostly a whole lot of fun!

Chapter 3:

That evening, Mac took Stella, Alexis and baby Emma out to dinner. Alexis confessed to her uncle about adding forensics science to her major. That sent him into a rant. He didn't want his niece involved in something that was as dangerous as their job.

"But Uncle Mac!" Alexis whined. "I want to do this!" she took a sip of her water and set the glass back on the table.

"I don't want you getting hurt, or worse, killed while doing your job," he said calmly. "What's wrong with piano performance?"

"Nothing, I just admire the work that you and Stella do and I wanted to be included," she said already sounding defeated. She pushed the food around on her plate before speaking up again. Flicking her eyes to her uncle's, she studied him for a minute. "Uncle Mac, when I graduated high school, my parents tried to get me to stay at home in Chicago and just go to a community college."

"I told them no. I wanted to pursue music at Julliard so I went to one of the top music schools in Chicago until I got an audition for Julliard. Look where it got me! I'm here, aren't I? I made it!" she glanced at Stella before continuing. "And I'd like to add forensic science to my career, I know I can do it so please don't discourage me." She stopped her speech to collect her thoughts and give her uncle a chance to speak his mind.

Mac sighed and leaned forward. "Lex, I love you as if you were my own daughter. That's why it would hurt to see you in danger if you were to become a CSI like us. I really don't want to see you killed." He paused. "But, if this is what you want to do, then go ahead and do it. But don't be afraid to ask for help from me or the rest of the team, they'll be happy to help as well."

Alexis grinned. "Thanks Uncle Mac!" She glanced over at Stella who winked at her and checked on the bottle that she was feeding to Emma.

Mac shook his head and rested his elbows on the table and looked down at Emma. "She's such a cute baby. Why would anyone want her to die?" he mused. He grinned at the baby's antics.

Stella knowing it was rhetorical shrugged anyway. "So will you help me with the adoption stuff?" she wondered.

"Of course," Mac stated. "Maybe we could even adopt her together?"

Stella looked at him in surprise. "You'd do that?"

"So soon?" Alexis added staring at her uncle. She never imagined this side of him would ever show again.

"I think I would. And Lex," he said, looking at his niece, "would it be okay if I just put you under the care of me as if I were your father?"

"Isn't that adoption?" she asked.

"Not really since you are technically an adult," he stated. He leaned back slightly and watched Emma play on Stella's lap. "I just want to make sure I'm your legal guardian while you're in school. That way if you need a co-signature on a loan or anything, they won't question anything."

Alexis thought about it for a moment. "That'll work. Do I need to start calling you dad now?" she teased.

Mac rolled his eyes and threw his wadded up napkin at her. "If you feel the need to. It won't bother me either way."

Emma made some baby noises and held her arms out towards Mac who smiled as he took her in his arms. He raised her above his head and brought her down close before making her fly back up again. He played that with her for a few more minutes before settling her in his lap. Emma cuddled up against him, resting her head against his chest and closed her eyes.

"I think she's taken with you," Stella commented with a grin.

Mac laughed. "I guess so. But don't you think she's too young?" he teased back.

They all laughed at that as the conversation settled into more mundane topics and eventually they came across the topic of Alexis's Today Show debut next week. "Stell, you are still planning to come stay with us, right?" Alexis asked, just making sure.

"Yes, I'm still planning on that. We need to stop by my place tonight so I can grab some stuff though," Stella mentioned.

Mac handed Emma back to Stella who had finished putting the bottle away and packed up the baby's bag. He took out his wallet and threw some cash on the table for their dinner. "Let's go then!" he said, holding his hand out for Stella.

She took it with a smile and didn't let go as they headed outside with Alexis on the other side of Mac who wrapped his arm around her shoulders. "What orphanage did you grow up in, Stella?"

"St. Basil's Orphanage," Stella replied. "I had good times and bad."

Alexis giggled. "What kind of bad times?"

Stella shot her a look. "Times that don't concern you. I don't want to plant ideas in your head."

Alexis rolled her eyes, "I'm 19. I don't think I'd do that kind of stuff anymore."

They walked along in silence until they reached Stella's apartment. Stella handed Emma over to Mac and climbed up the stairs to the front door. "I'll be right back," she told them.

"Do you want some help?" Alexis offered.

"Nah, I've got it," Stella declined. She disappeared inside and returned twenty minutes later with a duffel bag.

"Is that it?" Mac asked. "That's all you want to bring?" he gestured to the duffle.

Stella laughed. "It's a pretty big duffel, Mac." She shouldered the bag waving off Mac's hand, but allowed Alexis to take the diaper bag.

"This is exciting!" Alexis gushed. "I can't believe how quickly I've gained another family."

Mac and Stella smiled at the young woman. "I can't believe how long it had been since we had seen each other last," Mac said somewhat dejectedly. "What kind of uncle am I?"

"A great one," Alexis said gently. "At least you still wrote, every now and then," she offered. "I just can't believe no one told me about Aunt Claire," she replied sadly.

"Hey," Mac nudged her gently. "It's okay. She knows you loved her."

Alexis smiled softly and followed the couple as Mac led them up his street and into his building. Mac led them through the security door and stopped by his mailbox, grabbing the random envelopes inside. Stella continued up the stairs while Alexis followed behind her. Mac met them at the door and unlocked it.

Once inside, Alexis dumped the baby's bag in her room and pointed to her uncle's room with a smirk. Stella blushed but shook her head. "I'll ask him where I should put it," she whispered.

Mac exited the kitchen and adjusted Emma to his other hip. "Lex, do you mind if Emma shares your bed tonight?"

"Not a problem," Alexis replied as she made herself comfortable on the couch.

"We'll go shopping for her tomorrow," Mac told the girls. He made Emma 'fly' over to Alexis and left her to watch the baby. He looked over at Stella who was still standing nervously by the dining table.

He chuckled and took her bag from her. "You can share my bed," he whispered with a wink.

Stella blushed. "You really have come out of your shell, haven't you?"

Mac grinned and led the way to his room. "Okay," he set her bag at the foot of the bed, "my bathroom is over there and fresh towels are in the hall closet, but I'll get those for you." He led the way back out into the hall. "This is Lexi's room and Emma's for now. This is my office," he said pointing to a cluttered room.

"Wow," Stella teased. "You sure are organized.

Mac shoved her playfully. "I'm thinking maybe we can turn it into a nursery for Emma until things are settled."

"That'll be great," Stella commented. "I know Alexis might appreciate that."

They chuckled as they headed back into the living room to join the other girls. They spent the rest of the evening sharing various stories from their memories.

"Mac, I notice you call Alexis by a variety of nicknames," Stella commented.

Alexis and Mac laughed. "It's been that way since I was four," Alexis recalled. "I've been Alex, Lex, Lexi, Kiddo…all kinds of names. All nice of course," she remarked.

Mac leaned back against the couch and sighed contentedly.

"You can call me whichever you want," Alexis offered to Stella.

Stella grinned. "I think I like Kiddo," she teased. They all laughed before Stella continued. "I'll just call you Lexi."

"I don't mind Kiddo as long as it's only from you guys or the rest of the team," Alexis commented. She shrugged. "Makes me feel," she paused to gather her thoughts. "I don't know, I can't really explain it!" she chuckled.

"Makes you feel special?" Mac asked gently.

Alexis nodded. "Yeah, something like that." She glanced down at the glass of juice she held. "Makes me feel like I belong to someone and somewhere," she whispered nostalgically.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: CSI:NY does NOT belong to me. The only characters that belong to me are Alexis and Emma. And this is a slightly AU story. Hope that's not a problem with anyone. And I hope people like this story!

Spoilers: None…maybe borrowed concepts, but that's about it!

Summary: What do we get when we give Detective Mac Taylor a niece? A little drama but mostly a whole lot of fun!

Chapter 4:

"Well, I think I'm going to go to bed," Alexis announced, pushing herself up off the floor.

"Want us to move Emma or will she be ok in the bed with you?" Stella asked.

"Nah, she's fine," Alexis answered moving to kiss her uncle goodnight. She leaned down and pecked his cheek before moving over to kiss Stella goodnight. "Night you guys. Behave and don't stay up too late!" she winked.

Mac and Stella blushed, chuckling nervously. They watched as she sauntered down the hall and entered her room quietly. Stella had put Emma to bed hours ago so Alexis wanted to make sure she didn't wake her up.

"Would you like some coffee?" Mac asked, already standing.

"Mac," Stella groaned. "You know what caffeine does to me. Why are you offering it at 11:00 at night?"

Mac laughed. "Oh right. Sorry," he chuckled. He wasn't paying attention and didn't duck the pillow that was aimed for his head. "Hey!" he protested knowing he didn't really care.

Stella giggled and ducked as the pillow came flying back at her. She gave him an innocent look, "What did I do?"

Mac rolled his eyes and attacked her. "You're denying it missy."

That got Stella cracking up. "Missy?" she asked with an eyebrow raised. "I've missed this side of you Mac Taylor."

He grew serious and lifted himself off of her. He sat next to her, resting his elbows on his thighs. "You're right."

Stella set the pillow next to her and faced him. "I'm sorry. We were having fun and then I had to open my big mouth." She laid a hand on his shoulder. "Are you okay?"

Mac turned his head to look at her. "No, you're absolutely right. This is a side of me that everyone has missed." He studied her before completely changing the subject by accident. "You're incredibly beautiful."

She blushed as she ran her hand down his arm to meet his and interlaced their fingers. "Thank you," she grinned. "And you're not so bad looking yourself."

Mac laughed. "I think we've found our bantering again." He stood and pulled her with him. He hesitated before leaning in to steal a kiss.

"Mmm," Stella said as they came out of it. "What took us so long to do that?" she quipped.

He smiled and brushed her hair back. "I have no idea." He held her hand as they walked towards his bedroom.

"You absolutely don't mind me sharing your bed?" Stella asked as he closed the door behind them.

"Stell, if I cared, I wouldn't have asked you in the first place," he said firmly, unbuttoning his dress shirt. "Now get your pajamas on and let's go to bed!"

She rolled her eyes and grinned as she lifted her duffel bag and set it on the bed. She rifled through it for a moment before locating her flannel pajama pants and a spaghetti strap shirt. She stood there for a moment holding them, as she was captivated with the very smooth and taut back of Mac Taylor.

She blinked and turned around before he caught her staring. She pulled her shirt off and dropped it on the floor, replacing it with the spaghetti strap one. Slipping out of her dress pants, she quickly pulled on her pajama pants and collected her other clothes from the floor.

Mac tossed his clothes in his hamper and headed into the bathroom to brush his teeth. "Hey, toss your clothes in with mine," he offered.

"Really?" she asked incredulously.

He poked his head out and looked at her. "Sure," he shrugged. "You're gonna be here for a while so why not?" he disappeared again and then reappeared with his toothbrush in his mouth.

Stella grinned and tossed her clothes in his hamper. "Thanks," she said, rummaging around for her own toothbrush. She found it but realized she forgot her toothpaste. She rolled her eyes at herself and was soon presented a tube of toothpaste from the all-knowing Mac.

They stood side-by-side in his bathroom as they brushed their teeth, both grinning like fools around their toothbrushes. Collecting her hair in a ponytail at her neck, Stella leaned over and spit her toothpaste out and quickly rinsed. Mac took his turn as she moved over to wipe her mouth on the towel.

Soon they were both under the covers, Mac stretched out leisurely while Stella was somewhat stiff still. Mac rolled over to face her. "Stell, just relax. I'm not going to take advantage of you," he joked.

She chuckled. "I know…" she rolled over to face him as well. "Thank you for letting us crash with you."

"Not a problem," he reassured. He reached across the empty space and took her hand in his. He pulled it slightly and she came closer without a word and rested her head on his chest.

He laughed to himself as he brushed some of her thick curls to the side so he could breathe. He dropped a kiss to her head and soon they both drifted off into dreamland.

A week had passed and before they knew it, the fourth anniversary of 9/11 had come. Mac tried to not dwell on what happened but he eventually decided to go down to Ground Zero with the support of Stella, Alexis, and even baby Emma who could bring a smile to anyone's face, no matter how down they were feeling.

"Uncle Mac," Alexis said quietly, "I love you." She slipped her hand into his as his other hand gripped the railing of the ramp that led down into the sacred hole.

Mac looked at her with tears in his eyes before glancing back behind them. He motioned for Stella to come with them. "We're going to do this together," he whispered. "This is my closure."

Stella sadly looked over at Alexis as Mac led the way down the ramp. Alexis lifted a shoulder as they followed the broken, but healing man. He abruptly stopped at the bottom and held his hands out for Stella and Alexis.

Together the four of them made their way to the line of people who were lining up to speak up at the podium. The line was slow but steady. Alexis was listening to the families who were remembering their fallen and felt compelled to say something with her uncle.

Steadily they moved towards the steps, Mac first, Alexis behind him and Stella with Emma bringing up the rear. Stella stepped back to give Mac and Alexis some room.

Mac stepped up to the mike and looked out across the sadden faces of all the victims' families; some still had tears streaming down their faces. He started to choke up and he broke his gaze across the sea of people.

Alexis noticed this and stepped forward. She cleared her throat before speaking. "On September 11, 2001, I lost my aunt, Claire Taylor. She was a woman who loved everyone that came across her path. She had a kind heart and a beautiful smile. Aunt Claire was a person who brightened the room as soon as she stepped into it."

Her voice cracked as she started to cry. "However, I never got to say goodbye to my aunt. And I didn't actually find out about her death until a couple weeks ago." She wiped the continuing trail of tears and marched on. "I never got to tell her how much I loved her," she paused, glancing at her uncle who was watching her and stole a glance at Stella who had tears streaming down her cheek too.

She turned back to watch the masses before her. "Aunt Claire, you will always be loved and will be missed. I'm sorry we didn't get to spend as much time together as we did when I was little. Thank you for showing me how to be a better person though." With that she ended her speech and stepped back next to Stella.

Mac gave her a watery smile before taking her place at the mike. "My wife Claire was a wonderful person as my niece already stated. She was a generous person, always willing to go the extra mile. Whenever she saw someone in need, she was there to help him or her. Whenever someone needed her help, she gave it without question."

"On this fourth anniversary, it's more of closure rather than wallowing in my misery. I loved my wife and always will, but there comes a point when we need to move on. And even though I am moving on, it doesn't mean I'm going to stop coming down here each year." He looked up at the clear blue sky and concluded, "Claire, I'll always love you."

They walked off the platform, allowing the others in line to have their moments. "Mac," Stella said, "I'm proud of you." She squeezed his hand.

He stopped to look at her. "Thank you. And even though I will always love Claire, it doesn't stop me from loving you completely now."

Stella stared at him. "Did you just confess what I thought you did?"

Alexis, noticing they weren't behind her anymore, stopped to look back. She moved out of other people's way and stood against the plywood they had standing as a temporary fence.

"I did," he admitted. "I love you Stella, and I have for about a year now. I'm sorry I didn't do anything sooner."

Stella shook her head. "I wouldn't have wanted you to if you weren't ready."

Mac smiled and stepped forward to wrap her and Emma into a hug. "Thank you for understanding, for being there."

Stella nodded against his shoulder. "Always," she promised.

They resumed walking and soon caught up to Alexis who was waiting patiently. "Everything okay?" she asked.

Mac and Stella smiled at each other before answering. "Everything's great."

They went back home to Mac's and changed their clothes and Stella started preparing lunch. "Lex, don't you have the Today Show this week?"

"Yep," she nodded. "Wednesday. You guys still planning to come?"

"Of course, but we'll be coming from work. What time are you performing?" Stella asked, setting out plates with sandwiches on them.

"I'm the 10:00 performance. You guys will make it on time, right?" Alexis wanted to make sure.

"We're going to do the best we can," Stella said with a smile.

"I wish Danny, Aiden and Sheldon could come too," Alexis stated wistfully. "But I know they need to stay there. We can't have the whole office gone!" she laughed.

Stella laughed with her before calling for Mac. "Lunch is ready!"

Mac entered with a laughing Emma. "She thinks I'm so funny," he stated with a grin. He sat her in the highchair and took his seat next to her.

Stella sat across from him while Alexis had the other end of the table. They ate in a comfortable silence except for a few comments here and there. It was decided that Alexis would be taking care of Emma this week and even though she had her performance on Wednesday morning, she would still have the baby.

Alexis thought it would actually be fun having Emma with her that morning. She'll probably help me stay calm, Alexis thought as she chewed her bite of sandwich.

"We have the rest of the day to ourselves. How should we make the most of it?" Mac asked as he fed Emma a bite of her lunch.

"Umm…drive upstate?" Alexis suggested.

"No," Stella said, making a face, "we should take a walk in Central Park and then go to Times Square to observe all the tourists. Maybe even take a detour into the Downtown Manhattan Mall," she grinned.

"I think we should drive upstate," Mac said with a mischievous look.

"Why?" Stella asked suspiciously. She knew that she and Mac were nowhere near thinking of marriage. At the same time, she didn't think she would refuse if he did have the courage to ask.

"Just because," was his nonchalant reply. He fed Emma the rest of her lunch before standing up, collecting their plates and the baby food jar and taking them to the sink. "You'll have to wait and see."

"What's he talking about?" Stella asked Alexis.

She shrugged as she drank the rest of her juice. "I have no idea," she stated, glancing at her uncle to try and figure out what was going on his mind. She rolled her eyes as he winked at her, carrying a cloth over to Emma and began to wash her up.

"Come on Mac," Stella whined. "Can't you just tell us?"

"Nope. And no more whining," he said firmly. "And Alexis doesn't know anything either so you can't wheedle it out of her." He pushed the highchair away from the table and lifted Emma out. "Let's go!" he said to the stunned girls.

Stella and Alexis hurried to catch up with Mac as he stood outside the door, waiting for them so he could lock up. They silently headed down to the car where Mac buckled Emma up and waited for Stella and Alexis to get in.

Mac headed for the interstate and was soon free of the city traffic. They knew by the signs that they were headed for the West Point area. All they knew about that area was the topnotch military school of the country and really nice homes. Could they be moving into a house?

"Mac," Stella started in a no-nonsense tone, "are we going to see a house?"

He looked at her out of the corner of his eye and sighed. "Well, I wanted it to be a surprise, but I bought a house and I want us all to live together permanently. It's gonna be a commute to work but I figure it'll be worth it to raise Emma in a decent neighborhood."

Stella grinned. "That's so sweet of you!"

"What about me?" Alexis wondered.

"You've already been raised," Mac answered in a confused tone.

"No," Alexis laughed. "I thought I was going to be able to stay with you while I went to school. But with us living out here, it'll be more than a daily commute for me."

"You can use my old apartment. And you can have a roommate if you want, but ultimately that's your decision. I'll pay your rent and car insurance. You provide your own gas and food money," he informed.

"That's fair," she agreed then paused. "Wait, did you say car insurance and gas money?"

He nodded as he exited and started driving through residential areas. "I did."

"Am I getting a car?" she wondered.

"It's possible. Do you want one?" he countered playfully.

"Yeah!" she stated eagerly. "Oh thank you Uncle Mac!"

He laughed. "Not a problem."

"You don't have to pay insurance though. I'll come up with the money for that too," she protested.

Mac shook his head and navigated through some very quaint neighborhoods. "I want to. I just want to make sure we're not forgotten as you become some big star."

Alexis laughed. "I'm not going to be famous, Uncle Mac. I'm just finishing at Julliard."

They laughed as Mac came to a stop in front of a beautiful two-story home. "Oh wow," Stella and Alexis said in unison.

"This is gorgeous," Stella breathed as she got out. "Unbelievable."

"Is this really ours?" Alexis asked incredulously.

Mac nodded. "Yep. All ours. Come on, I have the keys," he said as he took the front steps two at a time. Unlocking the door, he held it open for the three of them and followed them in.

They sort of just stood in the entryway and stared. He allowed them a few minutes before shaking them out of it and beginning their tour. Stella listened to the very appealing descriptions as she adjusted Emma against her hip.

Alexis followed them in awe. She had never lived in a house as nice as this one. She had a feeling she would love living here. When they finished the downstairs, Mac took them upstairs and painted wonderful pictures for them by showing them their bedrooms and describing how they would be decorated.

"Uncle Mac, you are the best uncle in the world," Alexis gushed as she grabbed him in a hug.

He laughed and hugged her back. "Why, thank you."

She laughed as she pulled away. "Don't be so smug," she warned in a teasing voice.

Stella took her turn in showing her appreciation and while they had their moment, Alexis took Emma into her soon-to-be nursery and imagined what it would be decorated as. Soon, Stella was calling for them and they left the house and returned to the chaos of New York City.

"Mac, we've got a body," Danny called out.

Mac looked up from his work and quickly followed Danny down the hall where they met up with Aiden. "Where?"

"Battery Park, down by the dock," Aiden answered.

Mac sighed and ran a hand over his face. "Where's Stella?"

"On a case with Flack. They're in the labs processing their evidence," Danny answered as they headed outside and to a car.

Arriving on the scene at Battery Park, Danny tried to deter the media but soon gave up, joining Aiden and Mac in searching the crime scene.

Mac lifted the victim's arm carefully and examined it for anything unusual but didn't see anything. He'll just have to wait until Sheldon completed the autopsy. He stood up from his crouched position and slowly walked around the body.

Something long and reflecting in the sun caught his eye and he bent down to retrieve it. Frowning slightly, he examined it a little before bagging it. He couldn't figure out what it was so he decided he'd clean it after he lifted fingerprints off.

"What'd you get, Mac?" Danny asked, making his way over to his boss's side.

"This piece of something or other, and I can't quite figure out what it is," Mac answered thoughtfully.

"Murder weapon?" Danny questioned.

Mac shook his head. "Too small. Maybe it has prints on it that can identify the body or the killer."

Danny nodded and took the bag from Mac, setting it in the case of tools. After checking to make sure Aiden was done collecting evidence, he closed it and took it back to the car.

"You ready Mac?" Aiden asked, waiting next to the crime tape.

Mac looked over at Aiden and nodded. "Yeah, I'm ready." He walked over to the two younger agents and bent down to avoid getting clothes lined by the tape. "Be sure the body is sent to Sheldon," he ordered to the police officers standing nearby.

They nodded and moved in to bag the body and make sure it was delivered to the department. On their way back to the department, they stopped to pick up coffee for everyone.

"So, what's really going on between you and Stella?" Aiden asked eagerly, as they headed back to headquarters.

Mac chuckled. "What have you been told?"

"Nothing!" she gasped dramatically. "Stella won't say a single word."

"Well," he paused, "we are together now…and we'll soon be moving upstate to the West Point area." He pulled into a parking spot in front of the department.

"It's about time!" Danny remarked smartly.

Mac glared at him as they headed inside the building. "Don't tell me that you had bets going."

Aiden and Danny laughed together. "You know better than that, Mac. We all had bets going!" They hurried ahead before he could say anything.

Mac rolled his eyes and headed for his office. Once inside, he shrugged his jacket off and sat down slowly at his desk. He jumped slightly when his cell rang, startling him out of his reverie. "Taylor," he answered professionally.

"Uncle Mac?" Alexis started. "Aren't you and Stella coming to Rockefeller Center?" she wondered, as she glanced at her watch.

"Oh, right!" he said quickly. "We're on our way," he told her, standing up, grabbing his jacket and rushing down the halls to find Stella. "Everything okay with Emma?"

"Oh yeah, she's been so good this morning," she answered as she nodded to one of the producers. "I gotta go Uncle Mac, time for the interview stuff. So I'll see you and Stella outside for the concert?"

"Definitely," he reassured her. "Are they letting you take Emma out for the interview?"

"Yeah, I'll see you out there!" Alexis said as she said a quick goodbye and hung up. She took Emma from one of the other producers standing by and adjusted the baby against her hip.

"Stell, we've got to go," Mac said, slipping into his jacket.

Stella looked up from her work, glanced at the clock and quickly finished what she was doing. As they left the lab, she yelled out instructions for Danny to finish processing. "We sure weren't paying attention to time, were we?"

Mac chuckled. "Guess not. Come on; let's just take the train. We'll never make it with the mid-morning traffic." He held the door open for her as they headed out onto the sidewalk and hurried to the nearest subway station.

Taking the necessary train, they made it to Rockefeller Center in record time. Moving their way through the crowd of natives, but mostly tourists, they finally came to a spot behind a few rambunctious teenagers. Using their badges, they managed to calm them down and scare them slightly.

When the teens moved to the other side of the crowd, Mac and Stella took their places at the front of the stage. "Do you think she's nervous?" Stella wondered as she breathed into her hands to keep them warm.

"She might be," he answered, smiling at her. "Come here," he wrapped an arm tightly around her shoulders and drew her to him. "I'll keep you warm."

Stella laughed. "Thanks." She moved even closer as she felt someone pressing against her. Glancing behind her she noticed an elderly couple pushing their way to the other side.

"Here they come," Mac said suddenly.

Stella turned her attention to the stage and saw Alexis walking up the steps with Emma in her arms and Katie Couric just behind them. They grinned and waved as Katie introduced Alexis Taylor to the crowd and informed them that she would be playing a couple songs for them.

"Would be alright if I just took Emma over to my uncle?" Alexis quietly asked Katie.

"Sure, no problem," Katie answered with a smile. She watched as Alexis made her way across the stage and bent over slightly to hand Emma over to Stella. With a whispered 'good luck' from them, she hurried over to the piano and began her first song.

After the Today Show had ended for the day, Alexis caught up to her uncle and asked them what they thought.

"You were excellent, sweetie!" Mac gushed. "I don't ever remember you being that good!" he teased.

Alexis playfully smacked his arm. "Be nice!" She grinned at Stella. "What about you?"

"You were fantastic. I now understand why you're going to Julliard," she answered with a wink. She smiled at Alexis before turning her attention to Emma. "And what did you think Emma?"

Emma cooed and waved her hands in Stella's face, eventually grabbing a handful of hair.

Everyone laughed as they made their way to the subway station. Once they arrived back at the department, they stood outside for a few minutes deciding what to do next. Mac and Stella knew they had to go back to work, but Alexis wasn't sure what she wanted to do with her day yet.

"I guess I could go down to Julliard or NYU and figure out everything I need," she stated. She accepted Emma as Stella handed her over with a kiss. "Or I'll just go back home and vegetate," she laughed.

"Well, whatever you decide, have fun and be careful," Mac cautioned. He dropped a kiss to his niece's head and turned to head inside.

Emma grunted for his attention and held her arms out.

Mac laughed and took her in his arms. "I didn't forget you baby girl." He kissed her all over, making her giggle. "We'll see you two later!"

"Bye Uncle Mac!" Alexis said as they headed inside. "Bye Stell."

"Bye!" Stella said with a wave.

Alexis stood on the sidewalk and watched as the two of them headed inside. She looked at Emma who was staring back at her, curiously. "Well, kiddo. I guess it's just you and me." She turned and headed back to the station. She decided to take Emma over to Times Square where they would grab some lunch and people watch.


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: CSI:NY does NOT belong to me. The only characters that belong to me are Alexis and Emma. And this is a slightly AU story. Hope that's not a problem with anyone. And I hope people like this story!

Spoilers: None…maybe borrowed concepts, but that's about it!

Summary: What do we get when we give Detective Mac Taylor a niece? A little drama but mostly a whole lot of fun!

Chapter 5:

6 months later

"I can't believe Christmas vacation is already here!" Alexis exclaimed as she walked with one of her friends.

"What are you going to do for vacation?" Stacie asked, popping her gum.

Alexis shrugged. "Whatever my uncle and Stella are going to do." She pulled her iPod out of her pocket and skipped to another song. She glanced back at Stacie. "Want to come over for awhile?"

As they stopped outside of what was now Alexis's apartment, Stacie leaned against the railing of the steps and thought for a moment. "I suppose for a few minutes but then I've really gotta get home to work on my paper," she laughed.

Alexis nodded. "I hear ya. Thank goodness I'm almost done with mine," she teased.

Stacie shoved her friend as they climbed the steps and Alexis unlocked the main door, leading them inside. Once upstairs, Alexis opened the door and then locked it behind them. "Hot chocolate?"

"Definitely," Stacie answered, dropping her bag by the door. "Hey, were we supposed to pick Emma up from daycare?" she wondered, leaning against the kitchen doorframe.

Alexis paused in the making of their drinks. "Oops," she said, realizing that she was indeed supposed to pick up Emma.

"Want me to go with you?" Stacie asked, already putting her jacket back on.

Alexis laughed. "Sure." She grabbed her keys and her iPod while Stacie dug around in her bag for her iPod. "Let's go."

The girls made their way through the city, arriving at the department not too much later. Alexis flashed a badge her uncle had given her and signed Stacie in as a guest. Weaving her way through the detectives and various people, Alexis led the way to her uncle's office. "I want to say hi real quick," she explained.

Stacie nodded and followed, trying not to trip as she stared in awe at her surroundings.

As they neared his office, she saw that he wasn't in. "He might be down in one of the labs. Come on," Alexis said.

The girls made their way from one lab to the other, stopping now and then to introduce Stacie to Danny, Aiden, and Flack. Alexis told her about Hawkes but suggested they meet him later. At the last lab, they finally spied Mac and Stella, working side by side.

"Hey Uncle Mac," Alexis greeted from the doorway.

"Hey Mr. Taylor," Stacie added her greeting.

Mac and Stella both looked up. "Hey girls," Mac said with a smile. "You here to get Emma?"

Alexis nodded. "Who's picking her up tonight?"

Mac glanced over at Stella before looking at his niece. "Actually, we were wondering if she could spend the night. I'm taking Stella out for a special date."

Alexis grinned knowingly. "I see…and sure, she can spend the night."

"No boys," Stella warned playfully. She loved playing aunt to Alexis and the two were practically best friends.

Alexis pretended to be shocked. "But Stella, don't you know me better than that?"

They laughed as Mac motioned for them to leave. "Go get Emma and take her home so she can play with you two," he told them with a smile. As the two turned to leave, Mac wrapped an arm around his niece and whispered in her ear, "Do you think it's too early for me to propose to Stella?"

She looked at him with happiness. "Not if you feel that it's the right time."

Mac nodded. "Thanks. See you tomorrow!" He waved at them as they headed for the elevators that would take them upstairs to daycare.

"Lexi!" Emma cried as she stood up in her crib, rubbing her eyes with a tiny fist.

Alexis entered the room with a yawn. "What's wrong kiddo?" She leaned against the crib and reached out to caress Emma's hair.

"Bad dweam," Emma said, sniffling. She held her arms up and Alexis reached in to lift her out.

"Well, I think you can come sleep with me as long as you don't kick," she teased, trying to draw a smile out of the toddler.

It worked and Emma smiled. "Otay. Love Lexi," she said sweetly.

Alexis hugged the little girl close. "Love you too."

"Where daddy and mommy?" she asked as Alexis carried her to her room. Emma had referred to Mac and Stella as daddy and mommy from the moment she started talking. Now that she was a little over a year old, she was developing quite a vocabulary.

"They went out tonight. But because you're little, you had to go to bed early. I'm still up cause I'm trying to finish some homework before the weekend starts," she explained to the toddler as she settled her in under the covers.

"Why?" Emma asked curiously, sticking her thumb in her mouth.

Alexis laughed as she lifted her laptop onto her lap. "Because it's almost time for finals and I don't want to save the homework until Sunday."

"What tomorrow?" the toddler asked.

"Tomorrow's Friday but I don't have any classes. I get to start my weekends early," Alexis told the little girl as she continued to type her paper.

Emma quieted down and soon fell asleep against the comfy pillows. In her sleep, her thumb had dropped out of her mouth and her teddy bear had fallen away from her.

Deciding her paper was as perfect as it could be, Alexis saved her work and wrote on a Post-It note to remind her that she needed to print her paper tomorrow. Shutting down her laptop, she set it on the chest that sat against the wall next to the bathroom.

She walked to Emma's side of the bed and tucked the covers around her small body so she wouldn't fall out. She tucked the bear next to Emma and kissed her soft curls. She quickly got in bed and pulled the covers over herself. Turning off the light, she pulled Emma closer and closed her eyes.

The next afternoon found Alexis with Emma, turning in her paper early so she didn't have to worry about it on Monday. "Well, what do you want to do now?" she asked, glancing down at the toddler walking slowly by her side.

"Food!" she said with a giggle. "Up?" she requested, holding her arms up.

Alexis swung the little girl up into her arms and settled the toddler against her hip. "What do you want to eat?"

Emma thought, stroking her chin as she always sees her daddy do. "McDonald's?"

Alexis grimaced. "Well, do you have another choice? What about pizza?" she suggested hurriedly.

"Pizza!" Emma cried excitedly.

"Great," Alexis grinned, heading for Ray's Original Pizza place. "Then we can go to the mall and see if we can't get some Christmas shopping done."

"Mommy and daddy got presents," Emma told the older girl.

"Shh," Alexis admonished. "Christmas is a time to keep presents secret, okay?" she tapped Emma on her nose playfully.

Emma giggled and covered her mouth with her hands. She turned her body slightly so she could people watch as she was carried down the sidewalk. She glanced down as Alexis's cell phone rang and watched as she answered.

"Hey Uncle Mac," Alexis greeted, sticking her tongue out at Emma who giggled. "No, we're good. We're going to grab some pizza and do some shopping at the mall." She listened to her uncle on the other line, nodding as he spoke. "We'll be home in time for dinner. I'm going to come home for the weekend."

She crooked the phone between her shoulder and her ear as she hoisted Emma up slightly. "Cause I never have any classes on Fridays and I'll come back to my place sometime Sunday afternoon." They finally came across a Ray's Pizza and she ducked in under the awning. "I have a week left, actually, three days because my finals are this next week."

Emma started squirming impatiently so Alexis set her down and held her hand tightly. "Eat!" the little girl complained.

Alexis smiled down at her. "Uncle Mac, we're hungry so I'm gonna go now. We'll see you at home," she rolled her eyes as she listened. She squatted down slightly and held the phone up to Emma's ear. "Say hi to daddy," she directed.

"Hi daddy!" Emma said cutely, holding the phone. "Uh-huh, I had fun!" She giggled at something Mac said before she said, "Daddy, I hungry. I wanna eat, love you!" She held the phone out to Alexis who took it hurriedly and said her goodbyes to her uncle.

"Alright kiddo. Let's eat!" Alexis said with a grin. She directed the girl inside and up to the counter where she placed their order for a cheese pizza. Plopping down at the nearest available table, Alexis lifted Emma up into the chair next to hers. "There ya go."

"Thanks!" Emma grinned. She swung her legs back and forth as she looked around the pizza parlor.

When their number was called, Alexis quickly went up to the counter and took it back to their table. "Here we go," she said, cutting up a slice for the little girl and handed her a baby fork. "Enjoy!"

Alexis took her own slice and folded it in half before taking a bite. "Delicious," she sighed around her bite. She wiped her mouth and took a sip of her root beer.

"Milk?" Emma requested, holding her hand out.

Alexis reached in Emma's little bag and pulled out her sippy cup.

"Thanks!" she said sweetly, accepting the cup and loudly slurping on it.

"Drink quieter," Alexis laughed. She finished off her pizza and reached for another slice, immediately starting in on that one.

The girls chatted about anything and everything that toddlers talk about and before they knew it, they were done with their pizza and ready to go. "Let's go wash our hands, okay?" Alexis asked, slinging the bag over her shoulder and reaching for Emma's hand.

Emma followed behind Alexis, who was basically an older sister to her, and obeyed when she was lifted to the bathroom sink. She even used soap and rinsed it off by herself.

Alexis set the toddler down with some paper towels to dry off with while she washed her own hands. Grabbing a couple of paper towels for herself, she dried her hands while watching Emma as she carefully threw her towels away.

"Ready?" Alexis asked, opening the door with her towels before tossing them in the trash.

"Yep!" Emma responded. "Shopping?"

"Yeah, we'll go shopping now and then we'll go home to your house," Alexis told her. "We're going to take the train!" she said excitedly.

Emma clapped her hands. "Yay!" She bounced up and down as they headed down the sidewalk towards the mall. "You staying?"

Alexis nodded. "We'll stop by my place so I can pack a few things and then we'll head home," she answered.

Emma was so excited that she started singing some of her nursery rhymes. Her eyes lit up as they entered the Downtown Manhattan Mall. "Toys!" she demanded immediately.

"Be nice," Alexis told her. "And we'll stop by Toys 'R Us before we leave Times Square, okay?"

Emma's face lit up with a huge grin that threatened to take over her face. "Okay!"

The girls wandered through each other mall's eight or so floors, stopping every now and then in certain stores. Most were Alexis's choice since she was doing some of her Christmas shopping now. She had been busy for the past couple months that she really hadn't had any time for herself.

"Toys now?" Emma pleaded, getting tired of walking around the big mall.

"Yep. We're leaving now," Alexis replied as she accepted her bag from the cashier. "And we can't stay too long because it's getting dark."

They hurried through the crowds, locating Toys 'R Us and quickly heading inside. After spending a decent amount of time in the store, the two girls were soon rushing back to Alexis's apartment, then to Union Station to catch the train to upstate New York.

"Where have you two been?" Stella demanded as she flung open the door. She took Emma into her arms and hugged her tightly, kissing her hair.

"Sorry, Stell," Alexis apologized. "We hurried as fast as we could."

Stella smiled. "Not a problem. I was just feeling a little anxious when it got dark."

"Hey!" Mac said, coming into the hallway. "Glad you guys made it back safely!" He hugged his two girls and led them into the living room. He took Emma from Stella and tickled her, making the toddler giggle.

"Come on, you two can play later. Dinner's ready," Stella informed them, heading into the kitchen with Alexis trailing behind her.

"Stell, I'm sorry we made you wait for dinner," Alexis said apologetically.

Stella laughed and wrapped an arm around the girl's shoulders. "I told you, it's okay. I'm not mad, just worried. But you're here now so wash up and sit," she said with a grin.

Alexis peeked at one of the dishes on the table and saw a Greek salad. "Yes!" she declared on her way to the sink.

"What?" Mac asked, entering the room with Emma hanging over his shoulder, laughing hysterically.

"A Greek salad!" Alexis said happily, over her shoulder as she washed her hands. Quickly drying them on a towel, she rushed over to her chair and sat down.

Stella placed the main entrée on the table and joined the family. Silently holding her hand out for Mac's plate, she filled it and did the same with the others before filling her own.

Alexis and Emma told them about their day as Mac and Stella entertained them with anecdotes from the office in return. "Oh Danny and Aiden told us to tell you hi," Stella informed Alexis.

Alexis looked guiltily at her plate. "I need to go visit them. I feel bad that I haven't made time to come down," she said, taking a bite of her food.

"Yeah, we're feeling neglected," Mac teased his niece, receiving a playful glare from her in return. He dodged the ball up napkin that was thrown at his head.

Emma giggled and tried to do the same, hers ending up in the salad bowl and causing everyone else to crack up. She just grinned and looked back and forth between the three adults.

Once the table had been cleared and the kitchen cleaned, all four retreated to the living room to enjoy each other's company. "Daddy, up!" Emma demanded, pulling herself up by Mac's pant legs.

Stella shook her head and answered her, "What do you say first?"

Emma looked over at her and pursed her mouth in thought before it brightened into a bright smile. "Please!"

Mac and Stella grinned at each other as he leaned over and lifted her up into his lap. "Lex, can you hand me that book over there?" he requested, pointing to the table that sat by his recliner.

Alexis crawled over to the table and retrieved the designated book. "Here ya go!" she announced, handing it over to her uncle.

"Thank you, my dear," he answered.

Alexis chuckled at him as he opened the book and began reading the children's stories to his little girl. She felt a pang of sadness knowing her father wouldn't ever be able to do that for her again. When she was feeling sad, she would go to her father for a story to comfort her.

Stella reached over and rubbed the girl's back comfortingly. She smiled, knowing what the young woman was thinking. "Wanna play checkers with me?"

Alexis grinned. "Absolutely. And I'm gonna kick your butt," she boasted.

Stella scoffed. "We'll see about that." She got out the board and set up the pieces for her side as Alexis did the same.

As the girls engaged themselves in a friendly match of checkers, Mac and Emma watched them, talking quietly to themselves. "Daddy, are you and mommy married?" Emma asked innocently.

Mac looked at her in surprise, but at the same time knew exactly how she was becoming so advanced in her vocabulary. She spent a majority of her time around the team. "Well, sweetie, we aren't yet but," he lowered his voice to a whisper and had her stand up in his lap so he could whisper in her ear, "I asked her last night!"

Emma smiled widely. "Yay!" she exclaimed, clapping her hands. When she realized she had been too loud, she clasped her hands over her mouth, looking behind her.

Mac looked behind her as well as he settled the little girl back into his lap. "I just told her I'd take her to the park tomorrow," he explained to the curious stares of Alexis and Stella.

Alexis and Stella looked at each other, raised their eyebrows and returned to their game.

Mac and Emma sighed in relief. "That close daddy," she told him.

"It sure was," he agreed. He watched as the toddler made herself in the crook of his arms, resting her head against his chest as she watched her mommy and big sister. He smiled to himself, amazed at how easy fatherhood had come to him.


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: CSI:NY does NOT belong to me. The only characters that belong to me are Alexis and Emma. And this is a slightly AU story. Hope that's not a problem with anyone. And I hope people like this story!

Spoilers: None…maybe borrowed concepts, but that's about it!

Summary: What do we get when we give Detective Mac Taylor a niece? A little drama but mostly a whole lot of fun!

Chapter 6:

Alexis looked up at her uncle. "So," she started casually, "do you guys have something to tell us?"

Mac glanced at Stella and nodded. "Go ahead," he prompted.

Alexis whipped around to look at Stella. She searched her left hand for a ring and saw something glinting in the light. "You said yes!" she exclaimed in acknowledgement.

Stella grinned and nodded. "I did. We're getting married!" she laughed.

Emma sat forward, clapping her hands, even though she really didn't understand the concept. She watched as Alexis leaned over and hugged Stella tightly. "Now you get to be my aunt!" the older girl said happily.

"Mommy!" Emma shouted, demanding Stella's attention. When she had her mommy's attention, she asked, "Wha?"

All three adults laughed gently as Stella got up and sat next to Mac, pulling Emma into her lap. "Sweetie, daddy and I are going to get married and we'll be together forever."

Emma nodded. "Oh!" She hugged her mommy tightly and then crawled back into her daddy's lap so she could get comfortable again. Once she did so, she sighed and stuck her thumb in her mouth.

"No thumb, Em," Mac told her gently, pulling her thumb out.

"Why?" the little girl asked cutely.

"Because it's bad for your teeth," Stella stated, returning to the floor next to Alexis.

"Why?" Emma asked again.

Mac and Stella laughed. "We already told you, cutie," Mac answered. "I think it's time for you to go to bed now."

Stella looked at the clock and nodded. "Yep. Let's go take a bath!" she stood and held her hand out for Emma to grasp on to.

The little girl jumped off her daddy's lap with Stella's help and started walking up the stairs. She looked back and called for Alexis. "Lexi! Come!"

Alexis glanced at her uncle. "Guess I'll come relax with you after her bath."

Mac chuckled as he watched his three girls retreat up the staircase. Sighing, he rested his head on the back of the couch and ran his fingers through his hair. Since when was his life so easy-going? Closing his eyes, he dozed a bit until he felt, rather than saw, Stella's presence. "Hey," he greeted.

She smiled as she crossed the room to meet him on the couch. "How did you know it was me?" she asked.

"Instinct," he teased, taking her hand in his and linking their fingers.

"I see," she nodded, going along with the teasing. "Lex said she'd take care of Emma's bath for me."

He nodded once in acknowledgement. "She's always helpful." He finally opened his eyes. "Everything okay with you?" he asked in concern.

"Mmm? Oh yeah," she answered. "I'm good. Just thinking about Danny."

Mac sat up a little straighter. "Oh really? Should I leave you and your thoughts alone?" he teased.

Stella laughed and shoved him. "Shut up. What I mean, is, that he was acting kinda weird today and I was wondering if it had something to do with him and Aiden."

"You've noticed it too?" Mac wondered. "I think they've gotten close too." He stood up and pulled her with him. "Want some tea?"

"Please," she accepted, following him into the kitchen. "I'll take peppermint."

He nodded as he filled the teapot and set on the stove top, setting the burner to an appropriate setting. He then took a couple of teabags out of some boxes and placed them in two mugs.

They sat in a comfortable silence while waiting for the teapot to whistle. Alexis came downstairs with Emma in her arms to bid her mommy and daddy goodnight. "Night," she said sweetly, leaning over to kiss them on their cheeks.

"Goodnight, sweetie," Stella said sweetly. Looking up at Alexis, she asked, "Are you okay with putting her to bed?"

Alexis nodded reassuringly. "Absolutely." She glanced between her uncle and Stella. "You two seem like you have something to talk about."

Mac chuckled slightly. "Only some work stuff, not too serious. Don't worry," he reassured her.

She grinned. "Don't think too hard now," she teased. She adjusted Emma in her arms and had her say goodnight one last time before they headed back up the stairs. She pushed Emma's door open and stepped inside. "Goodnight kiddo," she smiled.

Emma grinned back and stated her goodnight as Alexis laid her in the crib. She flopped onto her back and stuck her thumb in her mouth, watching as the older girl covered her with a light blanket.

Alexis ran her fingers gently over Emma's soft hair and leaned down to kiss her. "Sleep well," she whispered.

Upon entering the kitchen again, she found the same scene only this time completed with cups of steaming tea. "May I join you guys?" she asked as she grabbed herself a mug.

"Sure kiddo, go ahead," Mac answered, standing up and pulling out a chair for his niece. He stood behind it while waiting for her to fill her mug and plop a tea bag in it.

Stella took a cautious sip of her tea. "What are all your friends doing for vacation?" she asked, taking another sip.

Alexis glanced up from stirring a packet of Splenda in. "Oh, some are going home…some are staying at the dorms, and I think a couple are going on family cruises," she answered. She shook her head and laughed slightly, "I don't think I could do a cruise at Christmastime. I love this time of year too much."

Mac chuckled. "Well, it's not for everyone." He took a long sip from his mug. "This hits the spot," he sighed.

Alexis laughed at her uncle. "Okay," she said, shrugging. Lifting her mug to her lips, she grinned at Stella who winked in reply.

"Mac," Stella started, "I think that the girls and I are going to do some more Christmas shopping tomorrow."

He groaned. "Don't you think you got enough already?" he teased.

Stella leaned over and slapped his arm. "Maybe we're going shopping for someone else. There are others I'm getting gifts for, ya know."

He laughed. "I know. Are you sure you want to take Emma though? I could take her to daycare tomorrow and have her hang out with me at work."

Stella looked at Alexis who shrugged with indifference. "I don't care what happens," Alexis stated. "Em can come or she can stay with Uncle Mac." She took a few more sips. "You guys are her parents so you can decide."

Mac rolled his eyes at his niece. "Thank you Captain Obvious." He drained his mug and stood. "She can come with me to work tomorrow. Aiden will love to play with her at her lunchtime anyway."

They all laughed as they carried their empty mugs to the sink and rinsed them out. The three of them returned to the living room and settled into respective spots on the couch and recliner. Stella lifted a thick novel and opened it to the last page she had been reading. Mac had a few files from work that he was flicking through and Alexis turned on the TV, surfing through the channels before finding a rerun of NCIS and settling on that.


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: CSI:NY does NOT belong to me. The only characters that belong to me are Alexis and Emma. And this is a slightly AU story. Hope that's not a problem with anyone. And I hope people like this story!

Spoilers: None…maybe borrowed concepts, but that's about it!

Summary: What do we get when we give Detective Mac Taylor a niece? A little drama but mostly a whole lot of fun!

Chapter 7

"Yo, Messer!" Aiden Burn called out in a playful tone.

Danny looked at her curiously before quirking an eyebrow. "What's up?" He glanced at her casual attire in the workplace. "And why are you dressed like that?"

Aiden looked down at herself, then back at him. "What do you mean?" she asked, feigning innocence. She came to a stop next to his locker and held her arms up in a gangsta way and popped her head, "Word."

Danny burst into laughter. "What the hell was _that_?" he glanced behind him and took a seat on the bench so he could finish tying his tennis shoes. They had recently completed a long-ass case that had lasted all week so he and Aiden were going out to unwind for the weekend.

Aiden started cracking up as well. "I have _no_ idea, but I made you laugh!" she said gleefully. She straddled the bench and faced him. "So where do you want to go?" she asked, shoving her hands into the front pocket of her Hurley hoodie.

He shrugged and placed his foot on the floor. "I don't care. Whatever you want to do." He turned slightly so he was facing her. He shook his head in amusement.

"What?" she asked defensively. "You gotta problem with how I'm dressed?"

Danny jumped up from his spot and slammed his locker shut. "Not at all. You look kinda cute dressed in jeans and a sweatshirt," he smirked.

Aiden stood as well and followed him out of the locker room. "Is that so?" she asked coyly. "You're not too bad yourself, Messer." She bounced along next to him while he walked calmly. "What are we gonna do?" she asked again.

"Aid," Danny sighed. "If you don't calm down, I'm going to leave you at home. And we live in one of the greatest cities in North America, pick something."

Pretending to pout, she crossed her arms like a petulant child. Waiting a few moments, she soon smiled and asked, "Can we go to Rockefeller Center and go ice skating?"

Danny pretended to think about it as they continued towards the elevators. "Sure, that sounds like fun!"

Meanwhile, in Mac's office, he and Stella were having a heated argument over whether or not she should remain on their newest case. "Stella!" Mac barked, grabbing her attention. "A threatening note was sent to you through this office and you're telling me you're not worried about!"

She muttered something in Greek before answering him. "Mac, I've been threatened before and I've handled it. Why should now be any different?" she asked, frustrated.

"Because now we're engaged and we're parents," he answered roughly. "Unless you'd forgotten that slight detail."

"That was low Mac," Stella said through gritted teeth. She sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. "You know what, this conversation is finished. I'm going to continue working on this case. If I get threatened again, I'll be sure to let you know."

That said, she turned on her heel and stormed out of his office, nearly running over Alexis who had dropped by with a note for her uncle. "What's wrong with Stella?" she asked in a worried tone.

Mac sighed, "Nothing." Looking carefully at his niece, he asked, "What are you doing here?"

Alexis handed him a note. "This is for credit in my forensic class. By signing it, the teacher won't make me go with a different CSI team for field credit since I already did that with you," she explained.

Mac nodded and scribbled his signature at the bottom of the paper. "Is that it?" he asked, handing it back to her.

"Yeah," she said somewhat detached. She turned and opened the door. "Uncle Mac, you love her. Don't stay angry with each other." With that, she disappeared down the hallway.

Mac sighed and folded his hands, resting them on his desk. _She's right,_ he thought. _I love Stella more than anything and I can't let something happen to her and have her think otherwise._ Suddenly, an idea struck him like a bolt of lightning. Grabbing his coat, he caught Flack on his way out and told him he was going to be gone for about an hour.

When he arrived at his destination, he suddenly lost his courage. _What if she doesn't like it and thinks I'm trying to buy her off?_ Sighing, he leaned against the building and stared hard at the sidewalk. After arguing with himself for five minutes, he decided to go ahead and go inside.

He quickly made his way over to the nearest counter. "Hi, I need some assistance," he said to the clerk behind the counter.

The young blonde woman smiled at him kindly. "Welcome to Tiffany's. What can I do for you?"

Mac explained what he was looking for and held his breath while the woman went in search of the special request. It was a necklace that had a meaningful Greek symbol molded out of white gold, suspended by an elegant silver chain.

"You're in luck, sir. This is the last one, for a while it seems. Apparently the store is putting a hold on their next shipment for a bit," she explained unnecessarily. She boxed the necklace up and placed the box in the bag. After running Mac's card through the machine, she wished him a good day and he returned the farewell.

On his way back to the lab, his cell started shrilling. Flipping it open, he answered in his business tone, "Detective Taylor."

"Mac, something's wrong," Hawkes began. "I've been looking for Stella to let her know some results and I haven't been able to find her. No one has seen her since lunch."

Mac suddenly felt like he was trapped in an iceberg. "I just saw her an hour ago. What do you mean, 'no one has seen her?'" he asked in an even tone, trying not to let his emotions seep through.

On the other line, Hawkes shrugged, knowing Mac couldn't see him. "I'm not sure Mac. But after that threatening note, I would say it's being taken seriously."

"I'm on my way back. No one is to enter or leave the building," Mac ordered and flipped his phone shut.

Upon arriving at the precinct, he rushed inside to find Flack and Hawkes nervously leaning against the glass walls of his office. "Anything?" he asked immediately.

"We just got another note. It was left at the door and brought to us by an officer," Flack said, handing the note to Mac.

Reading it, the two men witnessed as Mac's face immediately paled and inhaled sharply. "Have you analyzed this yet?"

Hawkes nodded. "Yep. Prints are running through the database." He then looked at Flack helplessly and shrugged.

Flack closed his eyes and lowered his head. "We're gonna find her, Mac. Don't give up now."

Mac glanced at his team member. "You're right. Let's get to work on this."

Hawkes politely dismissed himself and headed back downstairs to the morgue, knowing he wouldn't necessary be needed at the moment. He hoped and prayed he wouldn't be needed at all for this one.

Somewhere in Manhattan, Detective Stella Bonasera sat on a cold, warehouse floor, bound and gagged. _Where am I?_ She thought, trying to adjust her throbbing leg. In their haste, the men who grabbed her had slammed her leg in the door as they sped off. _Mac, please find me soon. I'm so sorry I didn't listen_ was her last coherent thought before slipping into unconsciousness.


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: CSI:NY does NOT belong to me. The only characters that belong to me are Alexis and Emma. And this is a slightly AU story. Hope that's not a problem with anyone. And I hope people like this story!

Spoilers: None…maybe borrowed concepts, but that's about it!

Summary: What do we get when we give Detective Mac Taylor a niece? A little drama but mostly a whole lot of fun!

Chapter 8

Stella was startled awake when she felt her gags come undone. She forced her eyes to open and came face to face with a hardened face. "Who are you?" she rasped, voice hoarse from not having liquids.

"That's not important now," he answered vaguely. He stood and crossed the room to retrieve a water bottle from his duffel. "Here," he said, tossing the bottle at her.

She caught it and unscrewed the cap. Taking a long swig, she let the cool liquid sit in her mouth before swallowing it. Putting the cap back on, she adjusted herself slightly, setting the bottle on the ground next to her.

"Your boss took something from me, so I took something from him," the man started. "He should always watch his back."

Stella stared at him, trying to place his last sentence, when it hit her. They had closed a case a couple years ago that had landed him in jail. To be fair, it was the evidence that put him in jail. She recalled the last trial where the man threatened Mac by telling to "always watch his back" as he was led away in cuffs.

"This has nothing to do with you; you're just a pawn in all of this," the man stated, staring hard at her. He stood and crouched down next to her, reaching out to push some stray curls away from her face.

Stella jerked her head away and hissed, "Don't touch me." She immediately recoiled as she received a hard slap in the face for her answer.

"I don't think you want to mess with me, Stella," he said with a sneer. "That's right; I remember you, or did you think I had forgotten?" He ran his finger down the side of her face, trailing down her neck, dipping slightly into her neckline. Suddenly he grabbed her by the throat and shoved her up against the wall behind her. "Behave, or you will find yourself in even more of a pickle." With that he practically tossed her aside like an old rag doll and stood.

Stella gasped for air as she supported herself from lying fully on the ground. _Bastard,_ she thought. Suddenly, she checked her jacket pocket to see if she still had her cell. Unfortunately, it wasn't going to be that easy. The jackass took it, probably when he kidnapped her from work.

_Mac, Aiden, Danny…anyone! You have to find me!_ she thought, trying desperately to stay awake. The pain in her leg had returned and was now throbbing mercilessly, threatening to succumb her into the land of darkness for several more hours.

Meanwhile, Alexis and Emma were playing in the living room when the phone rang. "Hold on kiddo," Alexis smiled as she ran to grab the cordless. "Hello?" she answered. "Hey Uncle Mac, what's wrong?" she asked, the smile leaving her face. When he explained the situation to her, she went pale and sunk to the floor.

Emma watched curiously before toddling over to sit next to Alexis. "Lexi, smile!" she demanded, scared because the older girl wasn't talking. "No sad!"

Alexis flatly answered her uncle's request of coming to the station so he could keep an eye on them. As she ended the call, she dropped the phone and sobs began to wrack her body. She grabbed Emma in a hug and squeezed her to the point of almost cutting her oxygen supply.

"Lexi, hurt," the toddler complained, pushing at Alexis' arms. "Ow!" she complained again when the teen didn't acknowledge her.

Suddenly Alexis loosened her hold. "I'm sorry baby girl," she apologized, kissing the girl's head. "We need to go see Daddy at work." She stood up and carried Emma upstairs to change her into warmer clothes and packed a bag for her.

When they left the house, Alexis quickly jumped into her new car and headed into the city, safely arriving at the precinct where she Danny waiting for them outside. "Danny, what's going on?" she asked tearfully.

Danny shook his head sadly and wrapped his arms around the two girls, holding them for a few minutes. When he broke the hug, he took their bag from them and ushered them inside. "Your uncle will explain everything," he answered vaguely.

Alexis, clutching Emma desperately, followed, numb to the stares she was receiving. The minute Danny left Mac's office, she set the toddler down and collapsed against her uncle.

Mac lowered himself into a chair, taking his niece with him. "Shhh," he soothed. "We're working on finding her." He held his hand out for Emma who took it, unsure as to why Alexis was crying again.

Alexis pulled back and settled herself in the other vacant chair. Mac pulled his little girl onto his lap and cuddled her close. "Sweetie," he started. How was one to explain to a one year-old that her mommy was missing? Mac sighed and instead, dropped a kiss to Emma's head.

"Mama?" Emma questioned, looking around to see if she could spot Stella.

"Mommy's not here right now," Mac said sadly, running his fingers through her soft curls. "Some bad men took her but we're going to get her back," he promised fiercely, hugging the toddler to him.

Emma looked sad as she buried her face into her daddy's chest. Alexis stood and came over to wrap her arms around Mac's shoulders as she rested her cheek on his head. "Can I do anything to help?"

Mac shook his head. "No, just keep Emma occupied while we go to the crime scene. We found traces of blood outside." He squeezed Emma quickly and leaned back to look at her. "I'm going to go look for mommy. You need to stay here and be good for Lexi, okay?"

Emma nodded. "I go," she decided. She started protesting when Alexis lifted her out of Mac's arms and into her own.

"No, sweetie," Mac said softly. "You need to stay here so you don't get hurt."

Alexis rested her hand on her uncle's arm. "Go, we'll be fine. Are you taking Danny and Aiden with you?"

He nodded as he walked over to retrieve his jacket off the back of his chair. "And Flack. If you need anything, Jane is down the hall and Hawkes is downstairs." He adjusted his coat and kissed the girls goodbye. "We're not going to stop until we find her."

Alexis nodded as he left and sunk into her uncle's chair. "Well, kiddo. I brought some toys and books for you to play with." She smiled weakly as Emma looked up at her. "You can go ahead and play if you want."

Emma slid off the older girl's lap and toddled over to her bag where she plopped down in front of it. She pulled the bag towards her and reached in to pull some toys out. Finding one of her favorites, she stuck it in her mouth and watched the people pass by the office.

Outside, Danny and Aiden were processing the current crime scene. "Hey Danny, look at this," Aiden called.

"What?" Danny asked, crouching down next to his partner.

"See this?" Aiden responded, pointing at tire marks. "They go away from the office rather than towards it." She straightened up and followed the marks. Confusion marked her face as she turned back to Danny. "If this was random, wouldn't there have been marks going both ways?"

Danny came to stand next to her and looked back down the alley. "You're right. Looks like they were waiting for her to come out. This means that this was personal against Stella."

"Or anyone of us," Aiden added. "They could've been waiting for anybody and Stella happened to be the first to step outside."

Danny nodded thoughtfully. He frowned as something caught his eye. He walked quickly back to his kit. Grabbing a sterile swab, he returned to where Aiden was watching him curiously. When he crouched down, she followed. "Got some blood," he murmured.

Aiden left him and grabbed the liquid that would confirm if it was blood. Dribbling a drop onto the swab, Danny and Aiden looked at each other with anxiety-ridden looks. The tip of the swab had indeed turned pink. "I'll take this to DNA," Aiden said softly as she headed back inside the building. Danny continued to process the crime scene while she ran inside.

Meanwhile, Mac and Flack were processing an abandoned car that had been found with blood on it. Taking care of the necessary samples and such, they were soon headed back to the lab with a lot more than they had started with. Mac ran the blood samples to DNA where he almost ran into Aiden.

"Did you find anything?" he asked quickly.

Aiden solemnly nodded. "Found traces of blood outside. Positive with Stella's DNA. What'd you get?" she asked, gesturing to the samples he held.

"We processed a car that had blood on it. I have a feeling this may match with Stella's too," he said looking down.

Aiden rested her hand on his shoulder as she passed. "We'll find her. But I've gotta run and continue working on the evidence."

Mac nodded as she headed down the hall and he entered Jane Parson's office. "Jane, another blood sample," he said, handing it over to her.

Jane looked at him with sympathy. "I'm really sorry about all of this," she said in her British accent. "I'm assuming you'd like to wait?" she stated, rather than asked.

Mac didn't answer but instead sat in one of the two chairs that were placed next to the door. He watched curiously as Jane performed her own tests and about an hour and a half later, she walked over to him with the results. "For the second time today, this is a match to Stella."

Mac sighed and ran his hand over his face. "Yeah, that's what I thought."

She looked at him in surprise. "Gut instinct," he said to her silent question. "Thanks," he said, holding up the sheet as he headed out of the office. Heading back to one of the labs, he began to process the hairs they had found in the backseat and front seat of the car in question.

Several hours, the team met again in Mac's office. "Okay, we have DNA that matches Stella and a man named Thomas Cole," Aiden started. She flicked through the file, "And apparently, he just got out of jail from a case that Mac and Stella processed back in 2003. Now he's out and has a personal vendetta against Mac and Stella, probably more against Mac since he testified at his trial."

Mac took the file from her hands and flicked through it. "Yes, I remember this man. He threatened me after he was sentenced and led away in cuffs." He tossed the file onto his desk. "Someone has obviously bailed him out. He was supposed to get 25 years and it's only been two."

Flack leaned against the glass wall and flipped through his notes. "We found the car he used, parked out in front of a pawn shop. That address is very shady and surrounded with old, abandoned warehouses. I think we need to search around that neighborhood." He glanced up and saw that everyone was looking at him. "Just an idea," he shrugged.

Mac shook his head as if snapping himself out of a daydream. "Flack's right. We need to search that neighborhood where we found that car. They can't be too far away because we know that Stella has at least been injured." He motioned for everyone to follow. "Let's go," he ordered.

As everyone filed out of the office, he turned back to give a reassuring smile to the girls before leaving with the group. They drove like madmen back to the scene where they found the car. Danny and Aiden arrived first and immediately were inside the pawnshop, questioning the owner. Mac arrived with Flack not a moment later and those two immediately began searching the nearby buildings for clues.

Danny came back outside as Aiden politely thanked the owner inside and joined her partner on the sidewalk. "Hey Mac," Danny called. When Mac looked his way, he motioned him over. "The owner says that he noticed a man carrying a woman over his shoulder the other day. Thinks she was unconscious cause she didn't struggle."

"Didn't struggle?" Mac asked.

"He thinks the man wasn't someone that the woman would hang out with," Danny clarified.

Mac nodded as Flack called for the three to join him. "Looks like we have some gravitational drops of blood," he said, pointing at a trail that led to the back of a small abandoned building.

"Okay, we need to call for backup. This guy might be armed," Mac stated. He grabbed his cell phone and called for backup. "They'll be here in ten," he informed his team. He stepped back and looked up towards the roof of the building. "No windows on the sides," he observed, walking around to the back. "We have windows back here though."

Flack, Danny and Aiden joined him as he studied the backside of the building. "There's a door over there. Use that one as an entrance but have the front blocked," Aiden suggested. She watched as the guys headed for the other side of the building only to return immediately.

"Nothing on that side, but we'll have all sides covered just in case," Mac decided. They headed back up the alley and noticed a small squad was waiting for them.

Inside, Thomas Cole was pacing the room nervously. "How the hell could they have found me?" he muttered to himself.

Stella watched him with a smirk. "Never leave evidence behind that they can use against you," she replied.

He lunged at her after she said that. "Shut up!" he screamed in her face. He forced her onto her back as he put pressure on her injured leg.

Stella bit her lip as she tried not to scream out in pain. She didn't want to give him the pleasure of knowing he was hurting her. She struggled instead to get her arm out from underneath her. Forming a fist, she brought towards his head and got him hard.

Groaning, Cole rolled away from her, clutching his head. He cursed as he stood and went back to the windows. He started panicking as he saw the uniforms coming to the back and stationed themselves like an army. He started pacing nervously again. "I'm not going back to that hell hole," he declared, pulling a gun out of his pocket.

Stella, starting to get nervous herself, watched him through pain-filled eyes. Suddenly she heard feet coming up the stairs. "He's got a gun!" she called out in warning.

He turned and fired a shot, fortunately only hitting her in the shoulder. She groaned as the shot propelled her backwards so she was on her back, clutching her shoulder as her leg continued to throb.

"Police! Open up!" the officers on the other side shouted, pounding on the door. Barely five seconds later, they burst through just as Cole stuck the gun in his mouth and pulled the trigger.

Stella closed her eyes and turned away as the police ducked for cover. "Stella!" a man yelled, pushing his way through the police. "Stella!"

She opened her eyes cautiously and found herself looking into the worried gaze of Mac Taylor, her fiancée. "Mac!" she cried, trying to sit up. She moaned as she remembered her injured shoulder. "Bastard shot me and smashed my leg in the car door," she explained.

"Shh, you're going to be okay," Mac said, his eyes welling up. "I've got you now." He gathered her into his arms, bleeding shoulder and all, and rocked her back and forth. He smoothed her hair back and kept rocking.

"Hey Stel, good to have you back," Aiden said through a watery smile. She dropped to her knees and hugged her friend.

That's how Danny and Flack found them moments later. "Come on, you need to get to the hospital," Danny said, trying to be professional. When she pulled back from Mac's embrace, Danny grinned at her. "Hey Stella."

"Hey Danny, Flack. Glad you guys came after me," she teased. That's the Stella they all know and love, the one that'll continue to tease and joke even when she is clearly in pain.

After several examinations, a surgery and a cast, Stella was finally resting in a hospital bed with Mac asleep in the chair next to hers. She had woken up a few minutes ago, and was enjoying the sight before her. Mac's mouth was slightly open and a little bit of drool was on the corner of his mouth.

She looked up as the door to her room opened quietly. "Hey," Aiden greeted softly. She glanced over at Mac and saw that he was still asleep. "How ya feelin'?" she asked, sitting in the chair on the other side of Stella's bed.

"Like I got hit by truck," Stella said with a grin. "How'd you find me so fast?"

Aiden chuckled. "Stel, it's been a day. We only found evidence yesterday and today. Mac was after everyone trying to get you back."

Stella smiled softly. "Yeah, I bet he was." She looked over at the man she loves then back at Aiden. "I'm glad it was you guys who found me instead of someone else."

"I'm just glad we got there before he could beat you up even more. How long did you have the bullet wound?" Aiden wondered.

"Only about ten minutes before you guys came barging in. He saw everyone surrounding the building and started getting nervous and when I opened my mouth with a sarcastic response, he shot me. I'm just lucky he was such a crappy shot."

"We're all lucky, Stel," Aiden whispered. "You don't realize how many people love you."

Stella grew quiet as she thought about what her friend told her. "You're right; I don't," she admitted.

"Do you think you're ready to give a statement?" Aiden asked, getting down to business, as Danny came into the room.

Danny crossed to where Aiden sat. "Hey Stella," he said with a smile.

"Hey Danny, thanks for coming," Stella answered. She smiled and adjusted herself, cringing slightly. After getting as comfortable as she could, she recounted her incident for Aiden and Danny to record.


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: CSI:NY does NOT belong to me. The only characters that belong to me are Alexis and Emma. And this is a slightly AU story. Hope that's not a problem with anyone. And I hope people like this story!

Spoilers: None…maybe borrowed concepts, but that's about it!

Summary: What do we get when we give Detective Mac Taylor a niece? A little drama but mostly a whole lot of fun!

Chapter 9 

-A week later-

Stella groaned as she slowly stood up from the couch. She shuffled her way to the kitchen to grab herself a drink.

"Stella!" Mac reprimanded. "You aren't supposed to be moving around," he said sternly.

She sighed, knowing she had been caught. "But I'm so bored! I'd rather just get up and do things myself," she whined.

Mac smirked. "Guess that means you'll just have to rely on me more." He grabbed a water bottle from the fridge, passed it to her and helped her back to the couch. "Sit," he commanded. He pulled her legs up gently so they were horizontal with the couch. "Stay," he said, tossing a light blanket over her. "Do you want a book or a magazine?" he asked, smoothing her hair back.

"Umm, I think I was reading one of Nicholas Sparks' books. It's upstairs, on my nightstand," she answered. "Thanks!" she called out since he was already heading upstairs.

Upon his return, he handed the book over and headed back into the kitchen to finish making dinner. "Well, Emma, mommy's sure stubborn," he joked with their daughter.

Emma giggled and watched her daddy with rapt attention. "Dada? Jus?" she asked, holding up her sippy cup.

Mac grinned and dropped a kiss to her head as he took the sippy cup out of her hands. "Here ya go!" he announced a few seconds later. After making sure the lid was on tight, he returned the cup to her waiting hands.

Emma plopped down on the kitchen floor and started slurping her juice noisily. "Lexi?" she asked, dropping the sippy cup to her lap.

"Lexi isn't home right now. She's back at her apartment and at school," Mac explained cheerfully. "She'll probably come and spend the weekend with us though."

Emma giggled again and promptly stuck the cup back into her mouth and resumed her drinking. Soon, she got bored watching Daddy cook, so she pushed herself off the floor and toddled into the living room to find Mommy.

"Mama," Emma began. "Jus," she offered, holding her cup out to Stella.

Stella grinned. "Hi baby girl. No thank you. You drink it," she said, gently pushing the cup back in her direction.

"Up, mama," Emma requested. She squatted down to place her sippy cup on the floor and then straightened to hold her arms out to Stella.

"You're gonna have to help mommy get you up here," Stella said, gritting her teeth through the slight pain she felt still.

"Stella," Mac warned from the kitchen doorway. "What did the doctor say about lifting?"

"He said not to do it?" she responded sarcastically.

Mac rolled his eyes and came to her rescue. "Here," he said softly. He gently placed the toddler on her lap and Emma immediately snuggled up to Stella and held her hand out in a silent request for Daddy to hand over the sippy cup that was forgotten on the floor.

He handed it over with a smile and left his two girls with a kiss on their foreheads and again, returned to dinner. Half an hour later, he announced dinner as he entered the room to assist Stella. "Easy now," he said, helping her shuffle to the table.

After they ate, Mac assisted Stella with a bubble bath while he bathed their daughter in the front bathroom. He made her giggle with the bubbles he put on his face and on her head.

"Dada!" she squealed, reaching out for him. "All done!"

Mac chuckled and wiped the bubbles from his face and rinsed her hair. "Okay sweetie." He reached behind him and grabbed the towel that was tossed on the closed toilet. "Here we go." He had her stand carefully, wrapped her in the large, fluffy towel and swept her into his arms.

Once she was dried and dressed, they made their way into the master bedroom where they discovered Stella reading on the bed. "Hey you guys," she greeted, sticking her finger to mark her place. "You ready for bed?" she asked Emma.

"Yes! Night mama," she said, leaning out of Mac's grasp and reaching for Stella.

Stella accepted the toddler into her arms and squeezed her tightly. "Mmm, I love you!" she declared.

"Wuv you," Emma returned sweetly. She leaned up and kissed her mommy on the cheek.

Mac stood their grinning proudly as he lifted Emma into her arms. "You two are just too cute," he stated.

Stella laughed. "Go put her to bed and then you can join me," she directed slyly.

He shook his head. "Nope! Not until you get the all-clear from your doctor!" he sang as he walked out of the bedroom.

She smiled to herself as she picked the book up and began where she left off. Before she knew it, she was snoring gently from the pain meds they prescribed. Mac returned from the nursery and laughed softly to himself. Shaking his head, he lifted the book off her lap and set it on the nightstand. He pulled Stella down gently so that she was resting on her pillows and joined her in bed.

A/N: I apologize for how long it's been…it's taken awhile for my muse to return. Now I need to find my muse for my NCIS story and my SVU one. sheepish smile Anyway…I'm also sorry that it's short but I felt really bad that it's taken me this long. That and the fact that someone sent me a message begging me to update. Hehehe Well, hope you enjoyed!


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